


Lunardein (The Hobbit & Star Wars CROSSOVER)

by Trinis



Category: Lord of the Rings - Fandom, Star Wars, The Hobbit
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:56:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 50
Words: 85,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27162824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trinis/pseuds/Trinis
Summary: Wouna Thunderblade has lived in The Iron Hills all her life. She has no idea what she is or where she came from. But after a two year journey across Middle Earth, she comes across The Shire, and her life changed forever
Relationships: Kíli (Tolkien)/Tauriel (Hobbit Movies), OC/OC, Original Star Wars Character/Original Hobbit Character
Kudos: 1





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Hobbit or Star Wars
> 
> Another Dislaimer: I know this might not seem like a Star Wars crossover at first but I promise it is
> 
> I also published this fic on Quotev

_Many generations ago, Chief Lunardein ruled over the planet of Srinu. For he had united the people, and made peace. By his side, was his most trusted friend and advisor, Alaser. Lunardein ruled with great compassion, and brought great joy and prosperity to the planet._

_But one day, five strangers came to Srinu. One of them told Lunardein a prophecy. She foretold that Lunardein’s line would end Alaser’s line, and blood would rule many worlds. This would be known in Srinu as ‘The Five Strangers Prophecy’_

_Lunardein was shocked and saddened at the prophecy. But Alaser was angered. He set out to change his fate, but what he did next, only sealed it for all eternity._

_Alaser had killed Lunardein’s children and his wife. He was brought before The Chief of Srinu. Alaser spat at the one who was once his friend, and swore that his line would wipe Lunardein’s line out before he could do the same._

_Lunardein lowered his head, and took a breath. He faced his former friend with a piercing stare, and only said one word before banishing him forever. The word that would resonate within the line of Alaser for all eternity..._

“Leave,”

~~~~~~~~

Wouna whizzed through the forest, ducking under leaves and branches as she went. Her heart never beat so fast, and adrenaline never coursed through her body as violently as it did now. She cast her wide blue eyes over her shoulder, only to see it was getting closer. A creature of shadow with glowing yellow eyes was hunting her down. The night sky made it difficult to see the creature and identify it. It ran on all fours, and snarled as its feet pounded against the ground. As more fear settled into Wouna’s heart, more speed seeped into her limbs. She didn't need to look back to know that the creature was gaining on her.

Suddenly, a great force painfully slammed into her back, as she cried out in pain. Both she and the creature rolled down a hill. As they reached the bottom, Wouna immediately stood up and began to run once again. She never got the chance. The same force slammed into her side, this time claws ripped through her clothes, barely scratching her skin. She turned over on her back, and took in the sight of the animal that took her down.

She could only see it's head. It's skull was mostly that of a wolf, but it's nose was nothing like that of a wolf, and seemed to blend into the snout itself. It had two large horns, and two small ones. Behind each pair of horns, there was another small horn, that was curved and had three ends on it. It had small spikes, and feathers on the sides of its head. There was white fur surrounding its yellow eyes, and two small horns atop its brow.

The animal barred its teeth, its huge paw pressed down on Wouna’s chest, making her gasp and grab its leg in an attempt to escape, but it did nothing. It opened its mouth, and lunged at her throat. By instinct, Wouna unsheathed her claws at the ends of her fingertips, and clawed at the animal’s right eye. It howled in pain and staggered back. Wouna grabbed a sharp stick nearby, and stabbed the creature with it. As it yowled in agony, Wouna scrambled to her feet and sprinted as fast as her legs could manage.

She must have been running for about half an hour before she finally slowed down. She placed her hands on her knees, and panted heavily.

_“I think I'm okay,”_ Wouna thought to herself.

She grabbed her satchel off her shoulder, and dug around in it, until she pulled out a canteen. She drank what little water it had left, and shoved it back into her satchel.

_“What in all the nine layers of fresh_ hell _was that?!”_ She screamed in her head. _“Where did it come from?!”_

She began to walk aimlessly, hoping to find a town or small village. With her excellent sense of smell, she smelt something. It smelt like meat cooking. Her mouth began to water.

_“Food!”_ She thought hungrily. She staggered towards the source of the smell. She soon came across a village of some sort. One thing that Wouna found peculiar, was that the houses here built into the hills. She walked over a bridge, towards a comfy looking place. She bumped her head on an overhanging sign. She rubbed her head and looked up to read it.

“‘The Green Dragon’” Wouna read out loud. The sign was brown, with gold painted letters, and a picture of a green dragon above the words.

She opened the round door, and stepped inside. The place was almost empty, with only a few people in it. They were small. Almost like children. She would have mistaken them for children, if it wasn't for their facial features.

“These must be Hobbits,” Wouna whispered to herself. _“I must be in The Shire. Well, duh. Where else would have buildings built into hills?’_

Wouna took one step, and hit her head on a overhead beam. “Ah!”

“Watch your head!” A Hobbit, presumably the owner said without looking up. He turned around to look at Wouna, but as soon as he did, the color drained from his face. Did I mention Wouna was one of an unidentifiable race? Whatever race she was apart of, it was distinctly feline-like in appearance, and both human and cat-like in structure.

Wouna was used to people being shocked by her appearance. She sighed and dug around in her satchel. She pulled out a of gold coin and plopped them on the table in front of the Inn keeper.

“Don't ask… I just want one night stay, and a hot meal please.” Wouna breathed, still slightly panting from her near-death experience with the animal.

“C-c-coming right up, m-milady,” the Hobbit slightly stuttered a bit. He gave her a rusty-looking key. “Enjoy your stay. The meal will be prepared in just a few minutes,”

“Thank you so much,” Wouna smiled tiredly. She made her way up to her room. She tossed her satchel down next to the bed and plopped down on the bed. She rubbed her temples.

“This has been a crazy night…” She mumbled.

After about 10 minutes, her meal was served to her as she accepted it graciously. The meal consisted of tomatoes, sausages, and bacon. She devoured it hungrily.

_“Man, these people sure do know how to cook,”_ She thought happily.

After she had finished, she lay down on the bed. It was a bit to small for her, but she managed to find a position that was comfortable. With heavy eyes, she fell asleep almost immediately.


	2. Part 1: The Quest. Chapter 1

_“Ma! You go! I will go after her!”_

_“Hantu no! I can’t just y-”_

_“Don’t worry about me! Just go! GO!!”_

_A strange sound echoed, and a dark figure wielding a blade of red light slashed through the darkness, as a sickening laugh echoed._

~~~~~~~

Wouna’s blue eyes snapped open, and found herself in a cold sweat. She gasped and rolled over to her side. She didn't know why that dream terrified her.

“What is going on with me?” She whispered.

She shook her head to clear her mind from the thought of her dream. It was just a dream, it meant nothing. Yawning, she jumped up to her full height, and hit her head on the ceiling.

"Ow!" Wouna rubbed her head. She bent her knees to avoid hitting her head again. She got dressed. She grabbed her usual blue shirt, with long blue sleeves, and a black hood. Her hand went through the tears that the beast left in it.

“So that wasn't a dream,” Wouna said sadly.

She slipped her shirt on carefully to avoid ripping it further. After that, she put on her brown pants, and her brown boots. She wrapped her boots in white fur, and wrapped it in thick leather straps to keep it together. She made her way to the dining area, and sat down at one of the small tables.

When Wouna sat down, she looked around and noticed some of the hobbits were looking at her suspiciously, with curiosity, or horror. Some just outright ignored her, which was something she could appreciate.

Wouna ate her breakfast, and went back to her room to fetch her satchel and sword. She made her way to the exit, but saw the Inn keeper. She got his attention.

“Thanks,” she said. She smiled before she walked out the door.

She took one step out the door, and was awestruck by the scenery. It was nighttime the last time she was outside, so it was hard to see the scenery in its full glory. Now that the sun was out, the Shire looked brighter. The sky was a perfect brilliant blue, and all the land was covered in lush green grass and bright wildflowers. There was a group of children playing from afar, putting a smile on Wouna’s face.

_“Damn, I miss being a kid,”_ She smiled to herself.

She walked across the bridge, and wandered for a bit. Wouna could hear Hobbits whispering about her. The questions mostly consisted of “What is that?” and “Where did it come from?”

Suddenly, Wouna tripped on a stone in the ground. She quickly fell to the ground.

“Are you alright?” Someone asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Wouna said as she picked herself up. “I just wasn't paying attention to where I was going,”

She looked up to see who had talked to her. He had a long gray beard and blue eyes. He wore gray robes, and pointed hat. In his left hand, he held a long staff made of wood.

“Gandalf?” Wouna asked.

The gray wizard looked at her with a look of slight confusion. After a few seconds, he spoke again. “Wouna? I should have recognized you. Is there anyone else I know who has a face like yours?” He said kindly. “My, you’ve grown. What brings you here old friend?”

“I was exploring Middle Earth for the past two years,” Wouna said as she stood up, brushing dust off her clothes. “I… had a _crazy_ past few days. You wouldn't _believe_ what happened,”

“I think I can,” Gandalf answered with a twinkle in his eye.

“I never would have thought I would end up in the Shire,” Wouna said. “But here I am. And it is beautiful if I do say to myself,”

“Yes, it is quite a sight indeed,” Gandalf said.

Wouna brought her attention back to the wizard. “So what brings you here?”

“I’m here to visit someone,”

“Who?”

“His name is ‘Bilbo Baggins,’” Gandalf said. “I take it that you don't know him?”

Wouna shook her head and shrugged slightly.

“Well…” Gandalf said. “I’m looking for someone to share in an adventure…”

Wouna immediately became excited. “Say no more,” She picked up her brown leather satchel from the ground and flung it on her shoulder. “I’m coming too,”

“You are?”

“Yes I am,” she said as she started to walk. “And you'll have to send me to Mordor tied up in chains locked a big metal barge to stop me,”

Gandalf chuckled. “Seeing that I can't stop you…”

~~~~~~~~

Gandalf and Wouna walked through the Shire. Usually, a visit by Gandalf would cause quite a stir, but instead of Gandalf, it was Wouna the Hobbits were whispering about.

“Who is she?” A farmer whispered to his wife.

_“I’m used to that question,”_ Wouna thought

“ _What_ is she, is more like it,” His wife commented sourly.

_“I ask myself that question all the time, sister,”_

“Is she some kind of elf?” A nearby fisherman asked his companion as he walked by. Upon hearing this, Wouna felt her ears. She always found them to be quite more cat-like than elf-like. Gandalf chuckled when he saw Wouna feeling her ears.

_“Why does everyone think I’m an elf?”_ Wouna thought to herself. _“I mean, do I_ look _like an elf?”_

“We are here,” Gandalf said.

They walked up a rather small staircase, leading up to a wooden gate. A Hobbit, (presumably Bilbo Baggins) sat on a bench outside his door, smoking a pipe. He had brown curly hair, much like all the other hobbits. He wore a long sleeved shirt with brown pants and suspenders with no shoes. He blew out a smoke ring which floated into the sky. The smoke ring collapsed and became a smoke moth, and Gandalf and Wouna walked up to him. He looked up in surprise.

“Good morning,” Bilbo said to the two.

“What do you mean? Do you mean to wish me a good morning, or do you mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not? Or, perhaps you mean to say that you feel good on this particular morning. Or are you simply stating that this is a morning to be good on?”

Bilbo paused a moment. “All of them at once, I suppose,”

Gandalf looked slightly disapprovingly at Bilbo. Bilbo couldn't help but notice Gandalf’s companion. She had bright orange hair, tied up by a dark gray band. She wore a blue shirt, with long blue sleeves, and a black hood. She had brown pants, and her brown boots were wrapped in white fur, held together by thick leather straps. On her black belt, there was a sheathed sword, with blue leather straps tied onto the handle. He drew his attention back to the wizard.

“Can I help you?” A confused and bewildered Bilbo asked.

“That remains to be seen,” Gandalf said. “I’m looking for someone to share in an adventure.”

“An adventure?” Bilbo asked. “Now, I don’t imagine anyone west of Bree would have much interest in adventures. Nasty, disturbing, uncomfortable things. Make you late for dinner, hm, mm,”

Bilbo got up and checked his mailbox, grabbing some mail and sorting through it, clucking to himself. He looked uncomfortable because the old man was still standing there. The hobbit puffed his pipe in vexation, he began heading back inside.

“Good morning,”

“To think that I should have lived to be good-morninged by Belladonna Took’s son, as if I were selling buttons at the door,” Gandalf said.

“Beg your pardon?”

“You’ve changed, and not entirely for the better, Bilbo Baggins.”

Bilbo, slightly shocked that he knew his name, asked, “I’m sorry, do I know you?”

“Well, you know my name, although you don’t remember I belong to it. I’m Gandalf! And Gandalf means … me,”

“Gandalf...” Bilbo said. “…not Gandalf, the wandering Wizard, who made such excellent fireworks! Old Took used to have them on Midsummer’s Eve. Ha, ha! Well. Hmm, I had no idea you were still in business,”

“And where else should I be?” A smiling Gandalf said.

“Ha, ha! Hm, hmm...” Bilbo puffed confusedly on his pipe.

“Well, I’m pleased to find your remember something about me, even if it’s only my fireworks,” the gray wizard said. “I hope your hospitality hasn't lessened in any way?”

“No,” a slightly confused Bilbo said. “Of course it hasn't,”

Gandalf smiled. “Good. Bilbo, this is Wouna. An old friend of mine,”

Wouna smiled at Bilbo. “Hi,” she said, with a little wave.

“Hello,” Bilbo said. Wouna could tell that he was slightly phased by her appearance.

“Wouna needs a place to stay,” Gandalf said.

“No I don-” Wouna was interrupted by the end of Gandalf’s wooden staff hitting her on the head, indicating that she should shut her mouth.

“I was hoping that she could stay with you while I attend to other important matters?”

“I… I guess so,” Bilbo said, a little unsure.

“Excellent!” Gandalf said cheerfully. “I’ll be back this evening. Wouna, I hope you will find Bilbo as an excellent host,”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Wouna said as she followed Bilbo into Bag End.

“Come in, Ms. Wouna,” Bilbo said politely. “Would you like some tea?”

“Thank you Mr. Baggins,” she said kindly. Once inside, Bilbo bolted the door. Hearing a strange noise, he put his ear close to the door.

“What is that?” Wouna wondered out loud.

“No clue,” Bilbo said. He looked out his side window and saw Gandalf hurrying away.

_Strange…_ Bilbo thought as he walked away from the window.

~~~~~~~~

Wouna stayed in bag end for the whole day by herself, as Bilbo had some business to attend to. When Bilbo came home, he offered her a bath, which she gladly accepted. The water was warm, and although the bath was a little small for her, it was still nice.

Soon enough, she got out of the bath and changed into the same outfit she wore before. She quickly brushed her orange hair and tied it up. She opened the door and made her way over to the kitchen where Bilbo sat at the table, putting bread and fish on two plates.

“Ah, just in time for dinner!” Bilbo exclaimed with a smile. He motioned for her to sit. Wouna smiled, and sat down. Just as Bilbo picked up his knife and fork, the doorbell rang. They both looked at each other slightly confused.

“Maybe that's Gandalf?” Bilbo suggested.

“It must be…” Wouna said.

Bilbo opened the door, and to his surprise, found a bald dwarf on his doorstep. The dwarf greeted him and bowed slightly.

“Dwalin, at your service.” He said.

Confused, Bilbo let out a noise like a whimper. Coming to his senses, he quickly tied his robe tighter and stood taller, although he was still confused.

“Bilbo Baggins, at yours.”

Dwalin walked inside without an invitation. Bilbo was confused and slightly worried as to why the dwarf walked in. “D-do we know each other?”

“No,” Dwalin said. “Which way, laddie? Is it down here?”

“I-is what down where?”

Dwalin dumped some of his stuff on the ground and threw the rest onto Bilbo.

“Supper. He said there’d be food, and lots of it.”

“H-He said? Who said?”

Dwalin walked into the kitchen and saw Wouna.

“You are Wouna, I presume?” He asked. “It's a pleasure to meet you,”

“The pleasure is all mine, Dwalin,” Wouna replied.

Dwalin and Wouna bowed to each other. Before Wouna could even look up, Dwalin was already at Bilbo’s spot on the kitchen table.

“Which one’s mine?” Dwalin asked.

“What?” Bilbo asked.

The dwarf pointed at the two plates of food on the table. “Which one’s mine?”

“Uh… you can… have mine,” Wouna said.

“Thank you, lass,” Dwalin said. He began eating Wouna’s dinner, while Bilbo sat behind him, confused. Dwalin ate all the flesh from the fish, then the head as well, as Bilbo looked on in disgust.

““Mmmm. … Very good, this. Any more?”

“What?” Bilbo asked. “Uh, oh, yes, yes. Help yourself.”

Bilbo brought over a plate of biscuits. He hid one behind his back for himself. Dwalin began stuffing them in his mouth. Wouna sighed and rubbed her temples a bit. _“Don't you think that's just a_ little _bit rude?”_ she internally asked Dwalin.

“It’s just that, um, I wasn’t expecting _more_ company.” Bilbo said.

The bell rang again, and Bilbo looked up in alarm.

“That’ll be the door.” Dwalin said as-a-matter-of-factly.

“Thank you for letting him know,” Wouna said sarcastically. Not a rude kind of sarcastic, but in a more joking way. “He didn't know,”

Bilbo opened the door and found an old, white-haired dwarf waiting and bowing.

“Balin, at your service.”

Bilbo let out a sigh as he nodded. “Good evening.”

“Yes, yes it is, though I think it might rain later,” Balin said. “Am I late?”

“Late for what?” Bilbo asked, dumbfounded.

Balin spotted Dwalin, who was trying to get more biscuits from a jar.

“Oh, ha ha! Evening, brother. Heh, heh.” Balin exclaimed, walking over to Dwalin happily.

“Oh, by my beard, you are shorter and wider than last we met.” Dwalin said, smiling.

“Wider, not shorter. Sharp enough for both of us.” Balin said, giving a knowing wink.

Laughing, they put their arms on each other’s shoulders, and smashed their foreheads together.

“And you,” Balin said kindly, turning towards Wouna. “You must be Wouna”

“Indeed I am,” she smiled warmly.

“I remember when Lalin first told me about you,” Balin said. “I never saw you until today,”

“Uh, excuse me; sorry, I hate to interrupt, ah, but the thing is, I’m not entirely sure you’re in the right house,” The hobbit said.

Ignoring Bilbo, Dwalin and Balin went into Bilbo’s pantry, where they were pouring ale and examining the food. As they talked to each other, Bilbo continued his talking to them.

“Have you eaten?” Dwalin asked Balin.

“It’s not that I don’t like visitors,” Bilbo tried to say to the dwarves. “I-I like visitors as much as the next Hobbit, but I do like to know them before they come visiting.”

Dwalin and Balin, not listening to Bilbo, were still digging through his pantry.

“Ah, that looks very nice indeed.” Balin said.

Balin picked up a lump of cheese. Dwalin took the cheese and tossed it out of the pantry, past Bilbo.

“The thing is, um,” Bilbo said. “I, I don’t know either of you, not in the slightest. I don’t mean to be blunt, but I uh, but I had to speak my mind. I’m sorry.”

The two dwarves paused and looked at Bilbo.

“Hm. Apology accepted!” Balin smiled. Wouna face palmed. Balin ignored it, and turned to speak to Dwalin. “Ah, now fill it up, brother, don’t stint. I could eat again, if you insist.” Balin handed a cup to Dwalin so that it could be filled with ale.

The doorbell rang again.

“You would think that they would tell you about their arrival,” Wouna said to Bilbo.

Bilbo opened the door to find two young dwarves. Upon seeing them, Bilbo made a small noise which sounded like a moan.

“Fili.” One said.

“And Kili.” The other said.

“At your service.” They said together as they both bowed.

“You must be Mr. Boggins.” Kili said cheerfully.

“Nope, you can’t come in, you’ve come to the wrong house.” Bilbo said. He tried closing the door, but Kili stoped it with his foot.

“What? Has it been cancelled?” A confused Kili asked.

“No one told us.” Fili said, concerned.

“Can--? No--nothing’s been cancelled.” Bilbo said.

“Well, that’s a relief.” Kili said, relieved.

The dwarves pushed their way in and began unloading their stuff onto Bilbo.

“Careful with these, I just had ‘em sharpened.” Fili said as he unloaded sheathed swords into the hobbits arms.

Wouna walked towards the door to see who came in. When she saw Fili, she gasped.

“Fili!” she exclaimed.

Fili turned around. Upon seeing Wouna, he had a huge smile on his face.

“Wouna!” He shouted as he ran to her and gave her a big hug.

“How are you?” Fili asked, overjoyed. “How long has it been? Five, six years?”

“Seven,” Wouna said as she pulled away from the hug. She put her hands on Fili’s shoulders, and inspected his face.

“Your beard is longer,” Wouna said. Fili smiled pridefully and stroked his beard a bit.

“And you must be Kili,” Wouna addressed Kili. “I’ve heard much about you from your brother,”

“Indeed I am,” Kili said. He gently took her hand and kissed it. She couldn't help but blush a bit.

“Kili at your service,” he said. “My brother has told me much about you, milady. He said you were one of a kind. And indeed, you are a sight to behold,”

While Wouna was contemplating weather or not that last remark was an insult or not, Dwalin called the dwarf brothers into the kitchen.

“Fili, Kili, come on, give us a hand.”

“Mister Dwalin.” Kili said.

“Let’s shove this in the hallway,” Balin said. “Otherwise we’ll never get everyone in.”

The dwarves prepared to shift Bilbo’s furniture around to create a meeting place.

“Ev--everyone?” Bilbo stuttered. “How many more are there?”

“I’m guessing a lot more,” Wouna said.

The doorbell rang very hard and longer than before. Bilbo, in anger, walked quickly toward the door, dumping all the swords and other equipment in his arms along the way.

“Oh no. No, no!” He shouted, annoyed. “There’s nobody home. Go away, and bother somebody else. There’s far too many dwarves in my dining room as it is. If- if- If this is some clotterd’s idea of a joke, ha ha, I can only say, it is in very poor taste!”

Bilbo opened the door, and an entire heap of dwarves, eight to be exact, fell in. Struggling to get up, they grumbled and yelled at each other, saying “Get off!” Gandalf was standing behind them.

“Gandalf,” Bilbo said, less than happy to see him.

Wouna stumbled into the room. She stopped in her tracks when she saw the dwarf-pile. “Are you kidding me?”

~~~~~~~~

The entire group of dwarves, 12 of them, soon began raiding Bilbo’s pantry and taking out all his food. He tried to tell them to put it back, but they ignored him.

“Those are my plates!” Bilbo shouted over the noise. “Excuse me! Not my wine. Put that back. Put that back! Not the jam, please! ...Excuse me,”

Bombur walked out of the pantry with three entire wheels of cheese.

“Excuse me,” Bilbo said. “A tad excessive, isn’t it? Have you got a cheese knife?”

“Cheese knife? He eats it by the block,”

Oin and Gloin walked through the hall carrying chairs from one of Bilbo’s rooms.

“No, no, that’s Grandpa Mungo's chair!” Bilbo said, annoyed. “No, I’m sorry, you’ll have to take it back please. Take it back...It’s antique, not for sitting on! Thank you! That’s a book, not a coaster. Put that map down, thank you,”

“I cannot hear what you’re saying!” Oin said.

Dori approached Wouna. “Excuse me, Ms. Wouna, can I tempt you with a nice cup of chamomile tea?” He asked.

“Yes please,” Wouna said as she took a cup from the tray. “It's just Wouna, please,”

“Gandalf?” Dori asked, making the same offer.

“Oh, no thank you, Dori. A little red wine for me, I think.” Gandalf said.

Gandalf and Wouna walked out of the dining room, trying to avoid the scurrying dwarves. He hit his head on the chandelier, then he began counting the dwarves on his fingers.

“Fili, Kili, Oin, Gloin, Dwalin, Balin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Dori, Nori...Ori…”

Bilbo wrestled a bowl of tomatoes away from Nori. Bifur approached Gandalf and talked to him in Khuzdul and with body motions.

“Yes, you’re quite right, Bifur. We appear to be one dwarf short,” Gandalf said.

As Bifur walked away, Wouna just couldn't help but notice something odd about him. “Did he have an axe in his head?”

“He is late, is all,” Dwalin said. “He travelled North to a meeting of our kin. He will come,”

“Mr. Gandalf?” Dori said.

“Hmmm?”

“A little glass of red wine, as requested. It’s, eh, got a fruity bouquet,” Dori said, handing Gandalf a small glass.

“Ah, Cheers,”

Gandalf drank the tiny cup of wine Dori offers him, then looked sadly at the cup, wanting a little more. The dwarves, sitting in Bilbo’s dining room, had feast with all his food. They were quite rude and messy about it. Bofur threw some food to his brother, Bombur.

“Bombur, catch!”

Bombur caught the food in his mouth, and everyone cheered. As everyone began throwing food around, Bilbo walked away in disgust. He looked at his pantry in shock; it was empty. Fili walked on top of the table, carrying several cups of ale and knocking aside the food in his way.

“Who wants an ale? There you go,”

“Let him have another drink!”

“Here you go.”

Fili turned to Wouna, offering her ale. She shrugged. “Sure, why not?” Fili gave her a cup.

Dwalin poured ale into Oin’s hearing trumpet, and as Oin spluttered in anger, everyone else laughed. Oin put his hearing trumpet to his mouth and blew the ale out of it, making it squeal. One of the dwarves yelled, “On the count of three!” and the dwarves pounded their cups together. Someone counted, “One!...Two!” Then all the dwarves went quiet and begin drinking their ale together.

They were incredibly messy, as ale fell all over their faces and runs down their beards. When finished drinking, they began burping; the youngest, Ori, let out a big burp.

“Mind your manners!” Balin scolded. “There is a _lady_ present!”

Wouna raised an eyebrow. She gulped down her ale in one sip. Suddenly, she let out the biggest and longest burp out of all of them. When she was done, the dwarves were silent, seemingly shocked. Bilbo looked away in disgust.

“I win,” Wouna in a flat tone. She put her cup upside down on the table. “You _clearly_ forgot who raised me,” The dwarves roared with laughter. She walked out of the room to see Bilbo.

“Why did you do that?” Bilbo asked.

“They called me a lady,” Wouna said, as if that would explain everything.

Bilbo nodded, seeming a bit irritated. “And?”

She shrugged. “It's annoying,” she mumbled. “Look, I’m sorry,”

Bilbo stayed silent for a moment. “Apology accepted,” he said. Wouna smiled.

“Good,”

~~~~~~~~

When the meal was done, the dwarves left the table and began walking about. Bilbo grabbed a doily back from Nori.

“Excuse me, that is a doily, not a dishcloth!”

“But it’s full of holes!” Bofur said.

“It’s supposed to look like that, it’s crochet,” Bilbo said.

“Oh, and a wonderful game it is too, if you got the balls for it,” Bofur said.

The Hobbit placed his hands on his head as he harshly sighed, pacing back and forth in an attempt to calm down.

“Bilbo, are you alright?” Wouna asked.

Bilbo turned to face her and gave a frustrated smile.

“Fine!” he snapped. Wouna knew that his intention wasn't to have a go at her. “ _Real_ great! Two _big_ _thumbs up!_ Just _peachy!”_

“My dear Bilbo, what on earth is the matter?” Gandalf asked the hobbit.

“What’s the matter? I’m surrounded by _dwarves_ ,”

“Oh, they’re quite a merry gathering, once you get used to them,” Gandalf said reassuringly.

Nori had a chain of sausages over his shoulder, and Bofur grabbed them from him. They played tug-of-war with the sausages.

“I don’t want to get used to them!” Bilbo said. “The state of my kitchen! There’s mud trod into the carpet, they’ve pi-pillaged the pantry. I’m not even going to tell you what they’ve done in the bathroom; they’ve all but destroyed the plumbing. I don’t understand what they’re doing in my house!”

“Excuse me. I’m sorry to interrupt, but what should I do with my plate?” Ori asked.

“Here you go, Ori, give it to me,” Fili said.

Fili took the plate from Ori and threw it to Kili, who threw it behind his back to Bifur, who was standing at the sink in the kitchen. Bifur caught it behind his back, without even looking at it. Kili, Fili, and other dwarves began throwing the plates, bowls, and utensils to each other, eventually throwing them to the sink to be washed. As dishware flew through the air, Gandalf ducked to avoid getting hit.

“Excuse me, that’s my mother’s West Farthing crockery, it’s over a hundred years old!” Bilbo shouted.

The dwarves at the tablet begin rhythmically drumming on the tablet with utensils and their fists.

“And ca-can you not do that? You’ll blunt them!”

“Ooh, d’hear that, lads?” Bofur said in mock concern. “He says we’ll blunt the knives,”

Kili began singing and the other dwarves joined him, as they continued throwing the dishware.

_“Blunt the knives, bend the forks_

_Smash the bottles and burn the corks_

_Chip the glasses and crack the plates_

_That’s what Bilbo Baggins hates!_

_Cut the cloth and tread on the fat_

_Leave the bones on the bedroom mat_

_Pour the milk on the pantry floor_

_Splash the wine on every door_

_Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl_

_Pound them up with a thumping pole_

_When you’ve finished, if any are whole_

_Send them down the hall to roll…_

_That’s what Bilbo Baggins hates!”_

Bilbo huffed up in anger, only to find all the dishes were stacked neatly and cleanly. The dwarves and Gandalf laughed. Suddenly, there are three loud knocks on the door, and everyone fell silent.

“He is here,” Gandalf said.

They opened the door, and there stood Thorin Oakenshield.


	3. Chapter 2

“Gandalf,” Thorin said as he walked into Bag End. “I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way, twice. Wouldn’t have found it at all had it not been for that mark on the door,”

“Mark?” Bilbo asked. “There’s no mark on that door. It was painted a week ago!”

“There is a mark,” Gandalf said. “I put it there myself. Bilbo Baggins, allow me to introduce the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield,”

“So, this is the Hobbit,” Thorin said. “Tell me, Mr. Baggins, have you done much fighting?”

“Pardon me?”

“Axe or sword?” Thorin asked. “What’s your weapon of choice?”

“Well…” Bilbo said, trying to come up with an answer. “…I have some skill at Conkers, if you must know, but I fail to see why that’s relevant,”

“Thought as much,” Thorin said. “He looks more like a grocer than a burglar,”

The dwarves all laughed, and they walked back to the dining table. Thorin saw Wouna sitting down against the wall. He looked sourly at her.

“So… you _actually_ exist” he nearly hissed.

“I beg your pardon?” Wouna asked.

Thorin glared at Gandalf. “What is she doing here? This business is private!”

“Wouna will be joining us in this journey,” Gandalf answered calmly.

Thorin glared at Wouna with harsh eyes. “Women are not fit for the kind of journey we are about to pursuit,”

The moment Thorin said those words, Wouna was on her feet, her cat-like ears pressed against her head in a threatening manner.

“Say that to me again, _sunshine,”_ she hissed.

Gandalf quickly intervened. “Wouna can be very helpful on this journey,”

“What kind of help can a woman be?” Thorin asked, this time, he was talking directly to Wouna. “What can you contribute to this company?”

“I am strong,” Wouna said confidently. “I can fight,”

Thorin chuckled. “So is everyone else in this room,”

Wouna wasn't finished. “I am swift and agile by nature. And more of a fighter that you _ever_ will be,”

Wouna knew that she went too far with that last comment. She knew that Thorin was a better fighter than her. Thorin was clearly angry, his face was beginning to resemble a tomato. Thankfully, Gandalf intervened again and suggested that Thorin ate.

Thorin resentfully sat down at the table. As he ate, the rest of them talked to him.

“What news from the meeting in Ered Luin?” Balin asked. “Did they all come?”

“Aye,” Thorin informed, looking up to Balin. “Envoys from all seven kingdoms,”

The dwarves murmured their joy.

“What do the dwarves of the Iron Hills say?” Dwalin asked. “Is Dain with us?”

“They will not come,” Thorin muttered.

The dwarves murmured in disappointment.

“What?” Wouna asked, shocked. “I’m sure your mistaken. Lalin would never-”

“The Iron Hills are not just Lalin,” Thorin sourly said. “They say this quest is ours, and ours alone,” Thorin answered.

The dwarves murmured again. Wouna sighed. She couldn't believe that the Iron Hills wouldn't help. It wasn't quite like them.

“You’re going on a quest?” Bilbo asked.

“Bilbo, my dear fellow, let us have a little more light,” Gandalf said.

Bilbo quickly brought a candle to the table, where Gandalf spread out a map which was in his pocket.

“Far to the East, over ranges and rivers, beyond woodlands and wastelands, lies a single solitary peak,” Gandalf said.

“The Lonely Mountain,” Bilbo said, reading the map.

“Aye. Oin has read the portents, and the portents say it is time,” Gloin said.

“Ravens have been seen flying back to the mountain as it was foretold: When the birds of yore return to Erebor, the reign of the beast will end,” Oin said.

Bilbo, hearing “the beast,” looked concerned. “Uh, What beast?” He asked.

“Well that would be a reference to Smaug the Terrible, chiefest and greatest calamity of our age. Airborne fire-breather, teeth like razors, claws like meathooks, extremely fond of precious metals--”

“I think Bilbo knows what a dragon is,” Wouna interrupted, getting up from her spot.

“I’m not afraid!” Ori shouted. “I’m up for it. I’ll give him a taste of the Dwarfish iron right up his jacksie!”

Several dwarves shout.

“Sit down!” Dori shouted.

“The task would be difficult enough with an army behind us,” Balin said. “But we number just fourteen, and not fourteen of the best, nor brightest,”

The dwarves started objecting, saying things like, “Hey, who are you calling dim?” “Watch it!”, and “No!”

“What did he say?” Oin asked.

“We may be few in number, but we’re fighters, all of us, to the last dwarf!”

“And you forget, we have a _wizard_ in our company. Gandalf will have killed _hundreds_ of dragons in his time,” Kili said.

“Oh, well, now, uh, I-I-I wouldn’t say that, I- -” Gandalf stuttered.

“How many, then?” Dori asked.

“Uh, what?”

“Well, how many dragons have you killed?” Dori asked. “Go on, give us a number!”

Gandalf embarrassedly started coughing on his pipe smoke. The dwarves jumped to their feet, arguing about the number of dragons Gandalf killed. Thorin jumped up in anger and bellowed, silencing the rest.

“ _Shazara!_ We have read these signs, do you not think others will have read them too? Rumours have begun to spread. The dragon Smaug has not been seen for 60 years. Eyes look east to the Mountain, assessing, wondering, weighing the risk. Perhaps the vast wealth of our people now lies unprotected. Do we sit back while others claim what is rightfully ours? Or do we seize this chance to take back Erebor? _Du Bekâr! Du Bekâr!”_

As much as Wouna was beginning to dislike Thorin, she did admire his words. All the dwarves cheered.

“I don't mean to spoil the party,” Wouna said. “But am I correct as to say that the front gate is sealed? There is no way into the mountain,”

“That, my dear Wouna, is not entirely true,” Gandalf said.

Twiddling his fingers, Gandalf produced a dwarvish key. Thorin looked at it in wonder.

“How came you by this?” He asked.

“It was given to me by your father, by Thrain, for safekeeping. It is yours now,” Gandalf said. He handed the key to Thorin as everyone looked in wonder.

“If there is a key, there must be a door,” Fili said.

Gandalf pointed at runes on the map with his pipe.

“These runes speak of a hidden passage to the lower halls,” He said.

“There’s another way in!” Kili exclaimed.

“Well, if we can find it, but dwarf doors are invisible when closed,” Gandalf said. “The answer lies hidden somewhere in this map and I do not have the skill to find it. But there are others in Middle-earth who can. The task I have in mind will require a great deal of stealth, and no small amount of courage. But, if we are careful and clever, I believe that it can be done,”

“That’s why we need a burglar.” Ori said.

“Hm, A good one, too. An expert, I’d imagine,”

“And are you?” Gloin asked.

“Am I what?” Bilbo asked.

“He said he’s an expert! Hey hey!” Oin said.

The dwarves laughed.

“M--Me?” Bilbo asked. “No, no, no, no, no. I’m not a burglar; I’ve never stolen a thing in my life,”

“I’m afraid I have to agree with Mr. Baggins,” Balin said. “He’s hardly burglar material,”

Bilbo nodded in agreement.

“Aye, the wild is no place for gentlefolk who can neither fight nor fend for themselves,” Dwalin said.

Bilbo continued nodding in agreement; the dwarves began arguing.

_“Enough!”_ Gandalf bellowed, standing up as the area around him seemed to grow darker. _“If I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar, then a burglar he is!”_

Gandalf went back to his normal self.

“Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet,” Gandalf said. “In fact, they can pass unseen by most if they choose. And while the dragon is accustomed to the smell of dwarf, the scent of hobbit is all but unknown to him, which gives us a distinct advantage. You asked me to find the fourteenth member of this company, and I have chosen Mr. Baggins. There’s a lot more to him than appearances suggest, and he’s got a great deal more to offer than any of you know, including himself. You must trust me on this,”

“Very well. We will do it your way,” Thorin said.

“No, no, no, Wouna!” Bilbo called, causing her to stand up immediately and made her way over to the Hobbit.

“Give him the contract.” Thorin said.

“Alright, we’re off!” Bofur exclaimed.

Balin handed Bilbo a long contract.

“It’s just the usual summary of out-of-pocket expenses, time required, remuneration, funeral arrangements, so forth.” Balin said.

“Funeral arrangements?” Bilbo grew fearful.

As Bilbo stepped back a few feet to read the contract, Thorin leaned toward Gandalf and whispers to him.

“I cannot guarantee his safety.” Thorin said.

“Understood.”

“Nor will I be responsible for his fate.”

Gandalf nodded. “Agreed.”

“Does anyone have a quill?” Wouna asked to no one in particular, not looking up from the contract.

Thorin raised his eyebrow in surprise. “You aren't going to read it?”

“I’m going on this quest weather you like it or not,” Wouna said as Balin passed her a quill. “I’m most likely going to die, so the details don't really matter,”

“Fair enough,” Thorin mumbled. Wouna handed the singed contract to Balin. Wouna could hear Bilbo gently muttering to himself as he suddenly paused. He got Wouna’s attention.

“Wouna, have you read this?” He asked her worriedly. “‘Incineration?’”

“Oh, aye, he’ll melt the flesh off your bones in the blink of an eye.” Bofur said.

“That’s really reassuring,” Wouna said sarcastically.

Bilbo looked a little breathless.

“You all right, laddie?” Balin asked.

Bilbo bent over, nauseous.

“Uh, yeah...Feel a bit faint.” Bilbo said.

“Think furnace with wings.” Bofur said.

“Air, I--I--I need air.” Bilbo stuttered.

“Flash of light, searing pain, then Poof! you’re nothing more than a pile of ash.” Bofur said.

Bilbo breathed heavily, trying to compose himself as the others stared at him.

“Three, two, one,” Wouna mouthed as she counted down on her fingers.

“Hmmm. Nope,”

Bilbo fell on the floor in a faint.

“Ah, very helpful, Bofur.” Gandalf said.


	4. Chapter 3

Wouna, Balin, and Thorin were waiting for Bilbo’s decision as he recovered from his fall. Thorin refused to even look at her. After a while, Wouna sighed.

“Couldn’t we just get along for at least two hours?” She asked.

Thorin’s expression didn't change. “… You come into my Company. _My_ Company. I didn't want anyone else,”

“Well I’m _sorry_ , but I didn't have any plans to travel across Middle Earth, _again._ ” Wouna said, her anger rising a bit. “Hell, I didn't even know about this quest for Erebor until just a few hours ago,”

“Then _why_ _are_ you here?” Thorin was clearly angry too.

Wouna laughed and threw her hand over her head. “By mis _take!_ I mean, I traveled across Middle Earth, and I just happened to end up _here_! When you’re being chased by an unidentifiable creature, you’ll settle for just about anywhere at this point!”

“Do not speak to me in such a way, _child!”_ Thorin spat as he turned his back on her once again.

Hot rage boiled inside Wouna. How _dare_ he! She growled.

“Wouna, Thorin, _please_ ,” Balin said. “Enough,”

Wouna didn't know what she would've done if Bilbo hadn't walked away down the hall.

“It appears we have lost our burglar,” Balin said. “Probably for the best. The odds were always against us. After all, what are we? Merchants, miners, tinkers, toy-makers; hardly the stuff of legend.”

“There are a few warriors amongst us.” Thorin said.

“Old warriors.” Balin said.

“I will take each and every one of these dwarves over an army from the Iron Hills,” Thorin said. “For when I called upon them, they came. Loyalty. Honor. A willing heart. I can ask no more than that.”

He turned to Wouna. “Can I ask the same from you?” He asked in a softer tone.

Wouna didn't say a word as she slipped out of the room. Thorin and Balin continued a conversation, but Wouna didn't listen. She decided to step outside and get some air. She climbed onto the grass roof. She angrily clawed at the ground.

“No one has the right to treat me so,” she hissed. She finally sat down. She let her feet dangle over the edge, and watched the serene landscape before her. She hung her head, holding back tears. She held her hand up, and unsheathed her claws.

_“What am I?”_ She whispered.

After just a few moments, she heard the dwarves singing.

_“Far over the misty mountains cold_

_To dungeons deep and caverns old_

_We must away ere break of day_

_To find our long-forgotten gold,_

She leapt off the ledge and went into Bag End, quietly shutting the door behind her, and sat down against a wall, contently listening.

_“The pines were roaring on the height_

_The winds were moaning in the night_

_The fire was red, it flaming spread_

_The trees like torches blazed with light,”_

Wouna had heard this song countless times, and she had memorized every word. When she was a child, Lalin used to sing her this song when she was falling asleep. It still worked. She tiredly shut her eyes.

_~~~~~~~~_

Wouna woke up to someone gently shaking her awake. She looked up to see Fili smiling down at her. She mentally noted that it was just barely sunrise due to the light in the room.

“Wake up,” he whispered. “Were leaving,”

“Already?” She asked. She yawned, and got up off the floor. She stretched, and her joints cracked a bit. She saw that everyone else was packing up their things inside, and outside.

“Am I the last one up?” She asked Fili.

“No,” he answered. “Oin still needs to wake up,”

“Ah,” Wouna said as he walked off, presumably to wake Oin.

Wouna picked up her satchel, that contained some food left over from last night, a knife, and thick red cloth. She snapped it shut, slung it across her shoulder, and walked towards the round door. Not paying attention, she hit her head on the chandelier. Fili laughed at her.

“Ha, ha,” Wouna said sarcastically. Annoyed, she ducked under the chandelier, and walked out the door.

“Nori,” Oin said. “Do you think that Bilbo will turn up?”

“Yeah,” Nori said. “I’ll bet… 4 gold,”

“…Deal,” Ori said.

“Hm…” Wouna said. You could almost see the lightbulb going off in her head. “Hey Fili! Wanna bet that Bilbo will turn up or not?”

“What?” Fili shouted.

“I’ll bet you _and_ Kili _5 gold_ that Bilbo will turn up!” Wouna said with a smirk.

“Are we really betting on this?” Kili asked.

“Yes,” Wouna said with a small smirk. “Is it a deal or not?”

Fili looked at Kili. Kili nodded and Fili. They turned to her. “Deal,”

Wouna laughed. “Get ready to pay me, fellas,”

The dwarves saw this, and immediately began to bet as well. Including Gandalf.

“Come,” Thorin said, mounting his pony. “We have no time to lose,”

The rest followed his example as the dwarves mounted their ponies and Wouna and Gandalf mounted horses.

“Don't forget that bet!” Wouna called.

“How could we?” Kili replied.

With one last look towards the Shire, Wouna rode next to Gandalf up at the front at a steady pace. They started to ride down a path through a wooded area. Words like, “waste of time” and “use a hobbit” were floating around. They had not gotten that far when they heard someone shouting.

“Wait! Wait!”

Some dwarves called “Woah!” and stopped their ponies. Bilbo was running as quickly as he could to catch up with the company. He caught up to them and handed Balin the contract.

“I signed it,” he panted and handed the contract to Balin. Wouna’s expression mirrored Gandalf’s as he smiled at the Hobbit. Balin took the contract and inspected it with a pocket-glass. He then smiled at Bilbo.

“Everything appears to be in order,” he said. “Welcome, Master Baggins, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield.”

The dwarves cheered. Thorin didn't look too impressed.

“Give him a pony.” He said.

“No, no, no, no, that--that won’t be necessary, thank you, but I--I’m sure I can keep up on foot,” Bilbo said. “I-- I--I’ve done my fair share of walking holidays, you know. I even got as far as Frogmorton once--WAGH!”

Bilbo’s was cut off as two of the dwarves rode alongside him and picked him up from behind to put him on a pony. Bilbo was now riding a pony and looking quite terrified. The pony neighed and tossed its head, making him quite uncomfortable.

“Come on, Nori, pay up. Go on.” Oin said.

Nori tossed a sack of money to Oin. Sacks of money began passing between the dwarves.

Wouna smirked triumphantly. “Fili. Kili,”

They both sighed and tossed two bags of money to her. She grinned. “Thanks, I appreciate it,”

“What’s that about?” Bilbo asked Gandalf.

“Oh, they took wagers on whether or not you’d turn up,” Gandalf answered. “Most of them bet that you wouldn’t.”

“What did you think?” Bilbo asked.

Gandalf caught a sack of money tossed to him and put it in his bag.

“My dear fellow, I never doubted you for a second.” He said, smiling

Bilbo suddenly sneezed rather loudly. “Ohh. All this horse hair, I’m having a reaction.” He complained. He searched his pockets.

“No, no, wait, wait, stop! Stop! We have to turn around.” Bilbo said.

“Why?” Wouna asked.

“I forgot my handkerchief.” Bilbo said.

Bofur tore a strip of cloth from his clothing and tossed it to Bilbo. “Here! Use this.”

Bilbo caught the rag and looked at it in disgust. The dwarves laughed.

“You’ll have to manage without pocket-handkerchiefs and a good many other things, Bilbo Baggins, before we reach our journey’s end,” Gandalf said. “You were born to the rolling hills and little rivers of the Shire, but home is now behind you; the world is ahead.”

Wouna groaned a little bit. “This is going to be a long journey,” She dug around in her satchel, and pulled out a silky blue handkerchief. She handed it to Bilbo.

“Use this instead,” she said. “You don't want to use _that_ ‘handkerchief.’ You’ll catch a disease,”

Bilbo took it happily. “Thank you, Ms. Wouna,”

~~~~~~~~

The company camped for the night near the edge of a cliff. As Gloin slept, tiny flying insects got sucked into his mouth every time he inhaled, and they are expelled when he exhaled. Bilbo watched in disgust, then finally got up and walked around. Most of the dwarves were asleep. Gandalf, Wouna, Fili, and Kili were awake. Bilbo walked over to his pony and gave her an apple, after checking to see that no one was looking.

“Hello, girl. That’s a good girl. It’s our little secret, Myrtle; you must tell no one. sh, sh”

Bilbo heard a scream in the night air and became worried. He ran over to Fili and Kili.

“What was that?” He asked.

“Orcs.” Kili answered.

Another scream was heard. Thorin, who was dozing, jerked awake upon hearing the word “Orcs.”

“Orcs?” Bilbo asked.

“Throat-cutters,” Fili said. “There’ll be dozens of them out there. The lowlands are crawling with them.”

“They strike in the wee small hours, when everyone’s asleep,” Kili said. “Quick and quiet; no screams, just lots of blood.”

Bilbo looked away in fright. Fili and Kili looked at each other and began laughing.

“You think that’s funny?” Thorin asked angrily. “You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?”

“We didn’t mean anything by it.” Kili said.

“No, you didn’t,” Thorin spat. “You know nothing of the world.” 

Thorin walked off to the edge of the cliff and looked out over the valley. Balin walked up to Fili and Kili.

“Don’t mind him, laddie,” Balin said. “Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs. After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain, King Thror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria. But our enemy had got there first. Moria had been taken by legions of Orcs lead by the most vile of all their race: Azog, the Defiler. The giant Gundabad Orc had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin. He began by beheading the King. Thrain, Thorin’s father, was driven mad by grief. He went missing, taken prisoner or killed, we did not know. We were leaderless. Defeat and death were upon us. That is when I saw him: a young dwarf prince facing down the Pale Orc. He stood alone against this terrible foe, his armor rent…wielding nothing but an oaken branch as a shield. Azog, the Defiler, learned that day that the line of Durin would not be so easily broken. Our forces rallied and drove the orcs back. Our enemy had been defeated. But there was no feast, no song, that night, for our dead were beyond the count of grief. We few had survived. And I thought to myself then, there is one who I could follow. There is one I could call King.”

Thorin turned away from the view beyond the cliff. The entire Company was awake and standing in awe, staring at him. Thorin walked between them toward the fire.

“But the pale orc? What happened to him?” Bilbo asked.

“He slunk back into the hole whence he came,” Thorin said. “That filth died of his wounds long ago,”

“And if he didn't?”

Everyone turned their heads to the one who spoke.

“What?” Thorin asked.

Wouna stood up. “You heard me. What if your wrong? What if he survived?”

“I assure you, he was destroyed,” Thorin said sternly. He turned around with a huff.

Wouna sighed. “I hope you’re right,” she said as she walked back to where she was sitting before.

“What is it with them?” Bilbo asked. “Why do they seem so hostile towards each other?”

“I’ll tell you why,” Wouna said. She was looking at the ground, snapping little twigs off a big branch. “He thought Lalin made me up. He didn't think I actually existed. When he found out literally yesterday that I did exist…” she snapped a small twig off the branch. “…well… I don't think he wants a _freak_ of nature…” she snapped another. “…who is only _26 years old…”_ she snapped a bigger one. _“…to be in his Company!”_ She suddenly tore the entire branch in half, splitting it down the middle.

Bilbo and the others stared at her in awe and fear as she threw the remains of the wood. Wouna sighed and plopped down on the floor again. Bilbo looked at her face. It looked like a lifetime of anger came out at that moment. “I apologize,” she said. “I lost my temper. Forgive me,”

She sighed shakily and laid back down again, with her back facing the company, in a vain attempt to sleep again. Her pointless anger slowly died away. Sleep visited her eyes last.


	5. Chapter 4

The Company now rode their ponies through a muddy forest as it rained. They all looked cold, wet, and miserable. Wouna was the most miserable of them all. The thin blanket of fur on her body was drooping from the rain, and her ears were flat against her head.

“Are you alright Wouna?” Gandalf asked. “You look miserable. Well… more miserable than the rest,”

She sighed, sulking a bit. “I…. don't like the water,”

Bofur snickered a bit, seeing that Wouna was somewhat cat-like.

“Here, Mr. Gandalf, can’t you do something about this deluge?” Dori asked.

“It is raining, Master Dwarf, and it will continue to rain until the rain is done,” Gandalf said. “If you wish to change the weather of the world, you should find yourself another wizard.”

“Are there any?” Bilbo asked.

“What?”

“Other wizards?”

Gandalf looked more than happy to talk about his fellow Istari.

“There are five of us,” Gandalf replied. “The greatest of our order is Saruman, the White. Then there are the two Blue Wizards; you know, I’ve quite forgotten their names.”

“And who is the fifth?” Bilbo asked

“Well, that would be Radagast, the Brown.”

“Is he a great Wizard or is he...more like you?”

Wouna snickered a bit at Bilbo’s insult. Gandalf looked slightly offended.

“I think he’s a very great wizard, in his own way. He’s a gentle soul who prefers the company of animals to others. He keeps a watchful eye over the vast forest lands to the East, and a good thing too, for always Evil will look to find a foothold in this world,”

“He _sounds_ like a great wizard,” Wouna complimented.

Gandalf smiled at her. They all rode silently for a few moments.

“I’m bored,” Bofur said. “Does anyone know any songs?”

A song immediately popped into Wouna’s head. “I know one,”

Bombur smiled at her. “Well come one, let's hear it then,”

Wouna cleared her throat.

_“Well they cut me down and threw me out_

_'Cause I didn't fit in with the crowd_

_'Cause I bang the drum too slow and out of time_

_And the stuff I think is not allowed_

_Well they cut me off from all the ways_

_That could give my soul a chance to feel_

_And the tea leaves in the wind are pointing south_

_As an angel comes in time to heal_

_Amazing grace_

_Comes to embrace_

_In a world filled with rage_

_With the love and the light of her face_

_Amazing grace_

_Well I'm fighting off a heavy heart_

_But I got no one but me to blame_

_And the medication tries to do its part_

_But it's you who puts me back in the game_

_Amazing grace_

_Comes to embrace_

_In a world filled with rage_

_With the love and the light of her face_

_Amazing grace_

_Well they cut me up and left me scarred_

_On the fringes of my sanity_

_But a particle of light cracks through the dark_

_And delivers your humanity_

_Amazing grace_

_Comes to embrace_

_In a world filled with rage_

_With the love and the light of her face_

_Amazing grace_

_Amazing grace_

_Comes to embrace_

_In a world filled with rage_

_With the love and the light of her face_

_Amazing grace,”_

Wouna finished her song. She looked up to see the dwarves smiling at her.

“You have a very nice singing voice,” Bilbo complimented, making Wouna smile.

“I've never heard that song before, lassie,” Balin said. “Where did you hear it?”

“It's a song I picked up on the road about a year ago,” Wouna explained. “It's one of my favorites,”

“Let’s not loose speed,” Thorin said. “Let's keep moving,”

After Thorin spoke, Wouna realized that they had indeed lost their speed, and they were going much slower that before. She patted her horse’s side.

“Come on, girl,” she said. “Lets pick up the pace a little bit,”

~~~~~~~~

The Company went through the Lone-lands rather quickly. The Great East Road exited the Lone-lands over a stone bridge covering a river. They were now in a place known as the “Trollshaws”. They were almost completely composed of steep and wooded hills. The thing that troubled Wouna the most, as the name implied, the trolls that infested the area.

The Company had now just arrived at an old, abandoned farmhouse that was in ruins.

“We’ll camp here for the night. Fili, Kili, look after the ponies. Make sure you stay with them.” Thorin said.

Wouna hopped down and stretched her legs while taking a look at the area around her. She felt uneasy. Something didn't… _feel_ right.

“Is everything alright, Wouna?” Fili asked as he looked around as well.

“Huh?” Wouna was snapped back to reality. “Oh, yes. I just… something about this place… just doesn't feel right. I think I'm just over thinking it. Don't worry about it,”

Wouna began to re-tie her orange hair, when Gandalf stomped off angrily, past her.

“Everything alright?” Bilbo asked, worried. “Gandalf, where are you going?”

“To seek the company of the only one around here who’s got any sense.” He grumbled

“And who’s that?” Bilbo asked

_“Myself,_ Mr. Baggins!” He bellowed, surprising Wouna. “I’ve had enough of dwarves for one day.”

Wouna sighed and shook her head before running after him.

“Gandalf, wait!”

He paused. Wouna could see his shoulders slump a bit before he turned to her.

“What the hell happened back there?” Wouna asked.

“Nothing that you need to concern yourself with, Wouna,” he said. “He refuses to seek help from Rivendell as I suggested,”

She felt a spark of anger at his words. She sighed. “He’s just as stubborn as ever,”

Gandalf nodded and sighed.

“Do you want me to stay with them?” Wouna asked. “Or come along with you?”

“I think it would be wise to stay here,” Gandalf said. “Just keep them out of trouble,”

“Aye aye, captain,” Wouna said. With that he turned and swiftly walked away. Wouna made her way back to the company.

“Where is Gandalf?” Kili asked. “Is he coming back?”

Wouna nodded. “Yeah, I think so. I think he just wants some time alone,”

He nodded and walked with Fili to the tree line with the ponies. Wouna walked on to look at the old house. Everything had been either smashed to pieces or demolished by time.

“I wonder what happened here,” Wouna asked herself.

She stared at the old house. The longer she stared at the house, the surrounding noise of nature and the Company faded away. After a few moments of peace, Wouna heard a voice. A voice she had never heard before, but somehow sounded familiar.

_“Gia… If you hear me… find her… please,”_

_“Gia?”_

_“Wouna? Wouna? Wouna?_ Wouna!”

She was snapped back to reality as Ori roughly tapped her arm.

“Wouna?” He asked. “Are you alright?”

“Uh…” she actually didn't know. Was she alright? Was the voice she heard all in her head? Or was it actually someone calling? Was someone out here calling for the one named Gia? “I’m… fine,”

~~~~~~~~

Wouna helped Bofur and Bombur serve food. She took her own portion and sat down on the ground with the others. Her gaze traveled to where she knew Fili and Kili were. She looked at the others, and noticed that no one was looking at her. She slowly snuck away and headed for the trees.

Creeping as quietly as possible, she spotted the two of them sitting beside each other on a low branch watching the ponies and chatting. She snuck behind them.

“AAGHAGHAGOHMYGODAGH!” She shrieked as she grabbed their shoulders and shook them. The brothers yelped and jumped down from the branch.

Wouna was laughing hysterically. “Oh my GOD!” She shouted between laughs. “You should've seen your faces!”

“What was that for?” Kili asked, looking somewhat betrayed.

“Two reasons,” Wouna said. “One, I wanted to see how you would handle being attacked by some rabid beast. Clearly not very well. And two, its’s been a while since I’ve had any fun,”

“Fun, you say?” Fili smirked as he picked up a pine cone from the ground. Wouna’s smile melted away when she knew what he was planning.

“For Erebor!” He yelled playfully as he chucked the pine cone at her. Kili followed his example as he started throwing multiple pine cones as well.

“Ah! No! Stop!” Wouna laughed as she was being pelted with pine cones. She ran to the nearest tree, and swiftly climbed it. She rested herself on a thick branch near the top.

“You can't get me up here!” She yelled. “I am the tree king! You cannot outtree me!”

Fili and Kili looked at each other in confusion, both of them wearing the same expression of “what the hell is she doing?”

As Wouna laughed triumphantly, she lost her balance, and fell.

“Ow,” she said in a flat tone after she hit he ground.

“Looks like you've been outtreed my king,” Fili said sarcastically.

Wouna scoffed as she propped herself up on her elbows. “Touché,” she said. The brothers laughed as they tackled her.

“I yield! I yield!” Wouna shouted in between laughs. While they were preoccupied, they heard heavy footsteps.

“Listen,” Kili hushed. Wouna pulled away from the brothers and the three of them looked around, remaining silent. Wouna’s ears perked up when she heard the same footsteps. When they heard the ponies neighing, the three of them looked at each other, a panicked look growing on their faces. They quickly began to run as fast as their feet would let them. They reached to where the ponies had been, and saw ripped up trees.

“Count the ponies,” Fili ordered. The three of them checked to see if any ponies had gone missing.

“I only counted only fourteen,” Kili said.

“Oh shit,” Wouna said, dread in her tone. “We are _so_ dead,”

They stood there looking panicked at each other, looking like idiots as they did nothing. They didn't even hear Bilbo come up from behind.

“What’s the matter?” he asked.

“What the matter is that ponies are missing!” Wouna shouted, panicked.

“Well, that’s not good,” Bilbo said. “That is not good at all. Shouldn’t we tell Thorin?”

“Uhh, no. Let’s not worry him,” Fili said. “As our official burglar, we thought you might like to look into it.”

Bilbo looked around and saw the trees recently uprooted and laying on the ground.

“Well, uh...look, some--something big uprooted these trees.” Bilbo said.

“That was our thinking.” Kili said.

“Something very big, and possibly quite dangerous.” Bilbo was now clearly concerned.

“Hey! There’s a light. Over here! Stay down.” Fili said

As the four of them quietly ran through the forest toward the light Fili saw, and they hid behind a log when they realized that it was a fire. Harsh laughter was heard from near the fire.

“What is it?”

“Trolls,” Kili answered. Wouna groaned. “I _loathe_ trolls,” she said as she cringed.

Fili, Kili and Gia ran toward the fire. Bilbo started to follow them, then returned to grab the two bowls of soup he left on the log. He then continued following them. Bilbo hid behind a tree and saw a massive mountain troll walking toward the fire, carrying a pony under each arm.

“He’s got Myrtle and Minty!” Bilbo said. “I think they’re going to eat them, we have to do something.”

“Yes, you should,” Kili answered, much to the displeasure and confusion of the Hobbit. “Mountain trolls are slow and stupid and you’re so small, they’ll never see you. It’s perfectly safe, we’ll be right behind you,”

“Guys…” Wouna said, worried.

“N--n--no--” Bilbo stuttered.

“They’ll never see you.” Kili reassured.

“Guys…”

“No, no, no...”

“It’s perfectly safe!” Kili said. “We’ll be right behind you.”

“Guys, no,”

“If you run into trouble, hoot twice like a barn owl, once like a brown owl.” Fili advised as he pushed Bilbo out from behind the tree towards the trolls’ camp.

As soon as he turned around, Fili, Kili and Wouna ducked away and raced back to the camp.

“Fili, Kili, why aren’t you with the ponies?” Thorin barked as they came within range of the others.

“A group of trolls have some of them. Bilbo is going after them as we speak, but we need everyone to take up arms,” Fili commanded before Thorin could speak.

Everyone jumped up and grabbed their weapons. As Wouna was about to go into the trolls’ camp, Dwalin stopped her. She watched as Bilbo tip-toed his way around the trolls and tried to free the ponies. Her heart caught in her throat when he was found.

“Hold his toes over the fire! Make him squeal!” threatened one of the trolls.

Kili suddenly burst out of the bushes and cut one of them in the leg, making him howl and fall down.

“Drop him!” Kili commanded

“You wot?”

“I said, drop him!”

The troll launched Bilbo at Kili. As soon as they both hit the ground, everyone charged. Swords swung in every direction and the screeches of the trolls were heard. Suddenly, Wouna was flung across the camp with back of a troll’s hand, which caused her to lose her grip on her sword. The troll charged her. In a panic, Wouna rapidly crawled to where her sword was lying, and she quickly picked it up and pointed it at the troll. Before she could attack, two trolls grabbed Bilbo. The dwarves stopped fighting when they saw them holding Bilbo by the arms and legs.

“Lay down your arms, or we’ll rip his off.”

Thorin looked at Bilbo in frustration, then planted his sword in the ground. The others dropped their swords and weapons as well. The trolls brought out sacks. They snatched up half of the company and tied them to a spit and put them over the fire. As they tossed Wouna and the others against a boulder, Wouna found herself wedged between Oin and Kili.

“What do we do?” Kili asked.

“Shit if I know,” Wouna shrugged. “To be honest, I think we're all going to die,”

“Oi!” One of the trolls said. “Keep your mouth shut!”

“Oh, keep _your_ mouth shut!” Wouna spat back, shocking everyone. “If I’m going to die, my last moments are _not_ going to be in the presence of three stupi-”

Wouna immediately regretted her decision as he grabbed her by the ankles and held her over the fire beside the others. She squirmed around and tried to free herself as the flames came closer to her, forming droplets of sweat on her face. The company started to shout at the trolls to leave her be.

“Okay! Okay! I take it back!” Wouna shouted.

“Is that any way to treat a lady?!” Balin shouted.

“Lady?” The troll holding her said. He held her closer so he could inspect her. “You don't look like a lady,”

“……….Are you calling me _fat?!”_

“You look like a human, but you have hair all over your body, and you look like a cat too,”

“You guys _suck,”_ Wouna mumbled.

“Don’t bother cooking them. Let’s just sit on them and squash them into jelly.”

“They should be sautéed and grilled with a sprinkle of sage.”

“Is this really necessary?” Wouna asked.

“Ooh, that does sound quite nice.”

The dwarves on the spit and in the bags were all making noises and talking in fear.

“Never mind the seasoning; we ain’t got all night! Dawn ain’t far away, so let’s get a move on. I don’t fancy being turned to stone.”

“Wait! You are making a terrible mistake!” Bilbo said

“You can’t reason with them, they’re half-wits!” Dori said.

“Half-wits? What does that make us?” Bofur asked.

Bilbo stood up, still tied up in a sack. He faced the trolls. “Uh, I meant with the, uh, with, uh, with the seasoning.”

“Say what now?” Wouna asked.

“Well have you smelt them? You’re going to need something stronger than sage before you plate this lot up. And as for her,” he gestured towards Wouna, “well her species are far more rare than than any other, so you’ll have to spend time finding something better for that one,”

“Hey Bilbo!” Wouna shouted. “Why don't you do us all a nice, big favor and _shut up!”_

“What do you know about cooking dwarf?” A troll asked.

“Shut up, and let the, uh, flurgaburburrahobbit talk.”

“Uh, th--the secret to cooking dwarf is, um--”

“Yes? Come on,”

“It’s, uh--”

“Tell us the secret.”

“Ye--yes, I’m telling you, the secret is … to skin them first!”

Wouna’s eyes widened in horror. The dwarves began thrashing around, shouting out ‘traitor’ and other things.

“Tom, get me filleting knife,” the troll sneered.

“What a load of rubbish! I’ve eaten plenty of them wit their skins on, boots and all,” one of them said.

“`e’s right! Nothing wrong with a bit of raw dwarf! Nice and crunchy.” A troll said as he held Wouna over his mouth. In a last attempt to stall for a little while, she blurted out: “You don't want to do that!”

“And why is that?” He asked, not moving her from her position dangling over his open mouth.

“Have you really seen anything like me before?” She reasoned. “My species tastes _really_ bad. And besides, uh... you’ll get _really_ sick,”

“Why?”

“Uh…” Her mind raced to come up with something.

“Well?”

“I’m infected with.. uh…”

“Go on then, spit it out!”

“Dysfunctional Epilepsy Asperger Tuberculosis Hyperplasia Disease!” She blurted out. Okay, she had no idea how she came up with that one. “D.E.A.T.H Disease for short!”

Even upside down she could see Fili and Kili trying to hold back their laughter and the others turning a shade of pink. Thankfully the troll tossed her aside with a disgusted grimace.

“All of them actually, they’ve all got worms in their…tubes!” Bilbo cried out. “Infested with parasites. It’s a terrible business; I wouldn’t risk it, I really wouldn’t.”

“Parasites, did he say parasites?”

“We don’t have parasites! You have parasites!”

“What are you talking about, laddie?”

The rest of the dwarves chimed in about how they didn't have parasites and how Bilbo was a fool. Bilbo rolled his eyes as the dwarves messed up his plan. Thorin, understanding Bilbo’s plan, kicked the others. They understood and went along with it.

“I’ve got parasites as big as my arm!”

“Mine are the biggest parasites, I’ve got huge parasites!”

“We've all got D.E.A.T.H Disease!”

“We’re riddled.”

“Yes, I’m riddled.”

“Yes we are. Badly!”

“D.E.A.T.H!”

“Well what do you suggest we do, let ‘em all go?” the one Wouna now knew as Tom asked.

“Well…” Bilbo said, cocking his head in mock thought.

“You think I don’t know what you’re doing. This little ferret is taking us for fools” Tom growled.

“Ferret?!”

“Fools?”

“The dawn will take you all!”

They all looked to the growing dawn to see Gandalf atop a boulder. He striked the rock with his staff, splitting it in half, allowing the sunlight behind it to pour into the clearing. When the sunlight touched the trolls’ skin, they began turning into stone. Within seconds, there were three stone statues of trolls. All the dwarves cheered for Gandalf. Gandalf leapt down and aided the dwarves off the spit above the fire before moving his way towards Wouna and the others who were still tied up.

“That was one of the worst experiences of my life,” Wouna said as she got out of her sack.

“At least you don't have D.E.A.T.H Disease,” Kili said, trying to lift Wouna’s spirits, but of course, it didn't help. Gandalf looked at Wouna suspiciously.

“I told the trolls I had Dysfunctional Epilepsy Asperger Tuberculosis Hyperplasia Disease,” Wouna explained. “D.E.A.T.H Disease for short. So they wouldn't eat me,”

Gandalf couldn't help but laugh.

“Don't ask me how I came up with that,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Wouna sings is “Amazing Grace” by Globus


	6. Chapter 5

It was now morning. The dwarves have been freed from the spit and from the sacks. Gandalf walked to one of the troll statues and thumped it with his staff, with a pleased smile on his face.

“Where did you go to, if I may ask?” Thorin asked Gandalf.

“To look ahead.”

“What brought you back?”

“Looking behind,” Gandalf said with a smile. “Nasty business. Still, they are all in one piece.”

“No thanks to your burglar.” Thorin said.

“He had the nous to play for time. None of the rest of you thought of that.”

Thorin looked repentant. Gandalf and Thorin examined the statues of the trolls.

“They must have come down from the Ettenmoors.”

“Since when do mountain trolls venture this far south?” Thorin asked

“Oh, not for an age, not since a darker power ruled these lands.”

Gandalf and Thorin looked meaningfully at each other.

“They could not have moved in daylight.” Gandalf said.

“There must be a cave nearby.”

~~~~~~~~

The company soon found a large cave nearby, and they entered it. It was full of treasure the trolls have been hoarding.

“Oh, what’s that stench?!” Nori exclaimed.

“It’s a troll hoard,” Gandalf answered. “Be careful what you touch.”

Wouna stepped one foot in the cave, and immediately regretted it. She had an excellent sense of smell, and she had smelled the cave long before they had found it. The smell had burned her nose before, and now it felt like her nose was exploding.

“I think I'm gonna puke,” she wheezed. She hunched over, leaning against a wall, holding her stomach. She gagged loudly. Many of the dwarves coughed and retched at the strong smell. Inside, they found piles of gold coins and other treasures in caskets.

“Seems a shame just to leave it lyin’ around,” Bofur said. “Anyone could take it.”

“Agreed,” Glion said. “Nori, get a shovel.”

As Wouna was still hunched over, she saw something metallic in the ground. Brushing aside the leaves beneath her, she found a sword. She unsheathed it. The hilt was shimmering blue. The blade had two small edges at the bottom, and it had a hint of green.

“These swords were not made by any troll.” Thorin said.

Thorin handed one sword to Gandalf and kept the other one.

“Nor were they made by any smith among men.” Gandalf said.

Gandalf drew the sword in his hand out of its sheath a few inches.

“Gandalf,” Wouna called from across the cave. “These are eleven blades,”

The Grey Wizard nodded. “These were forged in Gondolin by the High Elves of the First Age,”

Realizing that they are Elven swords, Thorin started to put his away in disgust.

“You could not wish for a finer blade.” Gandalf said.

Reluctantly, Thorin held on to the sword. He drew it out of its sheath a few inches as well.

Wouna walked over to Thorin. “That’s a fine blade, Thorin,” she said, smiling.

A slight smile tugged at Thorin’s mouth as he unsheathed the blade completely. It looked like he felt a little better about wielding an elven blade. He sheathed it, and went to joined the others as they left the cave.

Wouna stayed behind, and admired her new blade. It was the sharpest, and the most beautiful sword she had ever seen. Well, did she expect anything less from something made by the elves? She sheathed it, and attached it to her belt, replacing her old sword.

She joined the others outside the cave. Gandalf exited the cave behind her and headed over to where Bilbo was sitting.

“Bilbo,”

“Hmm?”

“Here. This is about your size.” He handed Bilbo a smaller sword.

“I can’t take this.” Bilbo insisted.

“The blade is of Elvish make, which means it will glow blue when orcs or goblins are nearby.”

“I have never used a sword in my life.” Bilbo said with a hint of nervousness.

“And I hope you never have to. But if you do, remember this: true courage is about knowing not when to take a life, but when to spare one.”

Wouna’s ears perked up when she suddenly smelt something that seemed quite a ways away, but coming quick. She took in a whiff. It smelt like… rabbits?

“Gandalf?” She asked. “Are we expecting company?’

“No,” Gandalf said. “Why do you ask?”

“Something’s coming!” Thorin shouted.

“Gandalf-”

“Stay together!” Gandalf shouted. “Hurry now! Arm yourselves!”

Bilbo slowly drew his sword and looked at it. He then followed the others, who have ran off into the woods. The intruder rode at full speed through the forest on a rabbit-drawn sled. He pulled up short by the Company.

“Thieves! Fire! Murder!” he cried out.

The person before Wouna was one of the oddest individuals she had ever seen. He was disheveled in both his clothes and appearance. His scruffy hair and beard were light brown in color. There was also dried bird droppings on the right side of his head. His odd felt hat and robes were also brown. And he had a rabbit-drawn sled. Nothing strange about that.

“Radagast!” Gandalf said warmly. “Radagast the Brown. Ah. What on earth are you doing here?”

“I was looking for you, Gandalf,” Radagast said. “Something’s wrong. Something’s terribly wrong.”

“Yes?”

Radagast opened his mouth to speak, but shut it. He opened his mouth again, but closed it again.

“Oh, just give me a minute. Um, oh, I had a thought, and now I’ve lost it. It was, it was right there, on the tip of my tongue.” He curled up his tongue, and looked surprised.

“Oh, it’s not a thought at all; it’s a silly old...” he pulled an insect out of his mouth. “-stick insect!” the brown wizard finished.

The dwarves and Bilbo looked flustered.

“And they call _me_ weird,” Wouna mumbled. Radagast, seeming to hear this, turned his attention to her.

“Well, hello,” he said warmly. “I don't believe we have met,”

“No, I don't believe we had,”

Radagast drew closer to her. “I’m sorry, but, you are remarkable,”

“Uh…” Wouna didn't know what to say. Well, she was quite animal-like. “….Thank you?”

The brown wizard brought his hand up towards Wouna’s ear, and snapped. Her ear twitched as she flinched. She assumed that that was some sort of hearing test.

“Could you not?” Wouna asked politely. “I have very sensitive hearing,”

“Who is this friend of yours, Gandalf?” Radagast asked, turning his attention towards the Gray Wizard.

“This is Wouna of the Iron Hills,” Gandalf replied, making Radagast’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise. Gandalf changed the subject, seeing that the Company's journey was already delayed.

“Why did you need to see me, my friend?”

The brown wizard’s demeanor transformed immediately. His tone of voice was suddenly nothing but serious.

“The Greenwood is sick, Gandalf. A darkness has fallen over it. Nothing grows any more, at least nothing good. The air is foul with decay. But worst are the webs.”

“Webs? What do you mean?”

“Spiders, Gandalf. Giant ones. Some kind of spawn of Ungoliant, or I am not a Wizard. I followed their trail. They came from Dol Guldur.”

“Dol Guldur?” Gandalf asked, seemingly shocked. “But the old fortress is abandoned.”

Radagast shook his head. “No, Gandalf, it is not. A dark power dwells there, such as I have never felt before. It is the shadow of an ancient horror. One that can summon the spirits of the dead. I saw him, Gandalf. From out of the darkness, a Necromancer has come,”

The last words rang eerily in Wouna’s head as she listened in on the conversation.

“Try a bit of Old Toby,” Gandalf suggested. “It’ll help settle your nerves.” He cleaned his pipe with his beard, then offered it to Radagast. Radagast breathed in the smoke.

“And out.”

Radagast, with his eyes crossed and a blissful look on his face, blew out the smoke, then stayed in a trance-like state for a few seconds.

“Now, a Necromancer. Are you sure?” Gandalf said.

Radagast pulled out a cloth-wrapped package and handed it to Gandalf. Gandalf untied it and opened it; upon seeing its contents, he looked concerned.

“That is not from the world of the living.”

Wouna didn't know what it was, but somehow she could feel evil radiating off of the object Gandalf held. Suddenly, she felt faint. She held her head and stumbled back a bit, almost falling on her back.

“Wouna,” Fili said worryingly as he helped her maintain her balance. “Are you alright?”

She didn't even get a chance to respond, when a howl was heard in the distance.

“Was that a wolf?” Bilbo asked, concerned. “Are there--are there wolves out there?”

“That is no wolf,” Wouna said, scowling. “There is only once creature that smells as fowl as that,”

From behind a nearby crag, a Warg appeared; it leapt into the midst of the Company, knocking down one of the dwarves. Thorin killed it using his sword. Another Warg attacked from the other side. Kili shot it with an arrow, bringing it down. However, it got back up, only to be killed by Dwalin.

“Warg-Scouts!” Thorin shouted, “Which means an Orc pack is not far behind.”

“Orc pack?” Bilbo asked worriedly.

“Who did you tell about your quest, beyond your kin?” Gandalf asked Thorin.

“No one.”

“Who did you tell?” The Grey Wizard repeated.

“No one, I swear,” Thorin told the truth. “What in Durin’s name is going on?”

“You are being hunted.” Gandalf said.

“We have to get out of here.” Dwalin declared.

“We can’t!” Ori said. “We have no ponies; they bolted.”

“I’ll draw them off.” Radagast said.

“What?!” Wouna shouted. “You can't be serious!”

“These are Gundabad Wargs,” Gandalf said. “They will outrun you.”

“These are Rhosgobel Rabbits; I’d like to see them try,”


	7. Chapter 6

Yazneg, the orc leader of the Warg Riders, and his Wargs were searching through the forest for the Company. Suddenly, Radagast and his rabbits shot out of the forest, and the Wargs started chasing him.

“Come and get me! Ha ha!”

Gandalf watched from behind a rock as Radagast and the Wargs disappeared in the distance.

“I like him,” Wouna wryly said with a small smile.

“Come on!” Gandalf shouted.

The Company rushed across a rocky plain. In the distance, Radagast was being chased by the Wargs. As the Company hid behind some rocks.

A Warg scout was standing on the rock above them, sniffing the air. Thorin looked at Kili and nodded. Kili readied an arrow. He quickly stepped out and shot the Warg. The Warg fell near the dwarves, and the dwarves killed them. The other Wargs and Orcs stopped chasing Radagast when they heard the roars and screams from behind the rock.

“Run!” Wouna shouted. The company ran across the grassy plain.

“This way!” Gandalf said. “Quickly!”

“Where are you leading us?” Thorin demanded.

Gandalf didn't answer. Wouna began to panic when the scouts slowly closed in and the company found themselves trapped.

“There’s more coming!” Kili yelled.

“We're surrounded!” Fili shouted.

The Wargs closed in. Wouna’s heart beat furiously as she walked towards the approaching Wargs. She shakily drew her sword.

“What are you doing?!” Thorin demanded.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her heart slowed down and the nervousness and fear she felt before subsided. Her eyes snapped open, and she barreled towards an approaching Warg, and sank her sharp sword into its shoulder. The Warg howled in pain and it threw itself side to side in an attempt to throw Wouna off. She struggled to stay on the beast, but she held on.

The Orc riding it tried to hit Wouna with his weapon, but she caught it and hastily tossed the Orc aside. The Warg thrashed and attempted to bite her, but she climbed onto its back and sank her teeth into the base of its neck. She threw her head back and tore a hunk of skin and fur off. As the Warg threw its head back and wailed in pain, Wouna took her new blade, and sunk into the top of it's head until it came out on the bottom of its jaw. The Warg fell dead instantly.

Out of breath, Wouna climbed off, and looked at the Warg and nodded in satisfaction. “Yeah,” she twirled her blade. “I still got it,”

A another Warg jumped at her from behind, but she ducked and it flew over her. She stuck her blade up, and stabbed the dog above her. Her blade ripped the Warg’s stomach open as it howled in pain. It fell to the ground dead.

A black haired Warg charged at Wouna, but she buried her sword in its skull before it could pounce.

She charged towards another Warg and its rider. Her eyes widened as she saw the black symbol printed on the banner pinned on the rider’s armor. Instantly and suddenly flashbacks filled her mind as she saw a vague, but familiar vision.

_Turquoise_ _waters turned black. Bright blue skies filled with ash. A city in flames. A mother held her child close as she ran through a forest._

The Warg hit Wouna on her side with it’s humongous paw. She cried out and hit the ground hard, loosing her grip on her blade. The Warg advanced towards her, and took her in his mouth and bit down hard. She screamed in agony. The Warg tossed her to the side like a piece of meat. She laid on the ground in a pool of Warg blood, and her own.

“Wouna!” Fili shouted. He ran towards her, weapon in hand.

Gandalf came up from behind a boulder

“This way you fools!”

As the Wargs approached, the dwarves and Bilbo slid into the large crack in the rock, sliding into a cave. Thorin killed a Warg that got too close. Kili shot another.

A Warg approached Wouna. She tried to get up, but her arms and legs gave out from beneath her. The Warg was a few feet away now. She closed her eyes, waiting for the pain of its jaws once again, but it never came. She peeled open her eyes, and saw Fili standing over the Warg and it’s rider, now dead. His weapon was covered in the beast’s dark blood.

The dwarf sheathed his sword and came to her aid. He almost dragged her to the cave. The dwarf set her down on the ground. She looked up when she heard the sound of a horn and the twangs of bowstrings. The sound of yelping Wargs and growling Orcs could be heard from inside the cave. The Company listened to the conflict from inside the crack. Wouna huddled closer to the wall when one of the orcs, shot by an arrow, fell into the cave. Thorin stood up and ripped the arrow from its neck, and examined it.

“Elves,” he growled as he threw the arrow to the ground.

Gandalf glared at him and he fell silent. He turned his attention towards Wouna. She looked stunned and confused as she rubbed her arm. “Are you alright my dear?”

Wouna nodded. Her eyes were wide and unblinking with shock. That vision... she’s seen it before.

Oin approached Wouna and tended to her wounds. After a few moments, Kili spoke up.

“What happened back there?” Kili asked.

Wouna didn’t look at Kili, but continued to stare forward. “I saw... I saw... I...”

Kili spoke again. “I never saw you fight like that before. Wouna?”

Wouna seemed to snap out of the daze she was in. “I... I... uh... honestly have no idea. I guess it was just instinct. In fact, a similar thing happened to me back in the Shire. I was being chased by this… um… wolf… thing… I don't know. Anyways, it pinned me down, and I clawed it in the eye, and that was the only reason I escaped. I didn't even think about it, I just did it. But this time, with the Wargs… I did think about it, I did do it on purpose. Is this making any sense?”

“I cannot see where the path way leads. Do we follow it or no?” Dwalin shouted.

“Follow it of course,” Bofur replied.

Wouna winced as she stood up. Fili and Kili saw this, and helped her up. The Company continued following the path. It was quite narrow, and it was a crack between two tall cliffs. At times, the dwarves had difficulty going through. The pathway eventually opened into an open area. There was a valley below, and in that valley was a great city.

“The Valley of Imraldis,” Gandalf said. “In the Common Tongue, it’s known by a another name.”

“Rivendell.” Bilbo said in awe.

“Here lies the last Homely House east of the sea.”

“This was your plan all along,” Thorin growled. “To seek refuge with our enemy.”

“You have no enemies here, Thorin Oakenshield,” Gandalf tried to reason. “The only ill-will to be found in this valley is that which you bring yourself.”

“You think the Elves will give our quest their blessing?” Thor in asked. “They will try to stop us.”

“Of course they will,” Gandalf said. “But we have questions that need to be answered. If we are to be successful, this will need to be handled with tact and respect and no small degree of charm. Which is why you will leave the talking to me.”

Wouna took in the sights around her once again, as the company walked across the bridge to the entrance of Rivendell. Upon walking over the bridge the company wandered apart and looked around, somewhat uneasy. A dark-haired elf walked down a flight of stairs and greeted them.

“Mithrandir,” he said with a smile.

Gandalf smiled. “Ah, Lindir!”

As Lindir and Gandalf greet each other, the dwarves murmured amongst themselves in distrust, making Wouna roll her eyes.

“Lastannem i athrannedh i Vruinen,” Linder said.

“I must speak with Lord Elrond.” Gandalf said.

“My lord Elrond is not here.” Lindir said,

“Not here? Where is he?”

Suddenly, the Elvish horns from earlier were heard again. The Company turned around and they saw a group of armed horsemen approaching along the bridge at a rapid rate.

The dwarves bunched up together into a tight circle with their weapons pointed outward. The mounted Elves arrived and rode in circles around the dwarves. Eventually, they stopped, and one elf separated himself from the others.

“Gandalf,”

Gandalf bowed gracefully.

“Lord Elrond. Mellonnen! Mo evínedh?”

“Farannem ‘lamhoth i udul o charad. Dagannem rim na Iant Vedui.”

Elrond dismounted his horse, then he and Gandalf hugged.

“Strange for Orcs to come so close to our borders,” Elrond said. “Something, or someone, has drawn them near.”

He held up an Orc sword and showed it to everyone, then handed it to Lindir.

“That may have been us,” Gandalf said with a smile.

Thorin stepped forward, and Elrond looked upon him with recognition.

“Welcome Thorin, son of Thrain,” he greeted.

“I do not believe we have met.” Thorin said.

“You have your grandfather’s bearing,” Elrond said. “I knew Thror when he ruled under the Mountain.”

“Indeed; he made no mention of you.” Thorin growled

Ignoring this insult, Elrond turned to the dwarves and spoke in Elvish. The dwarves didn't understand what he was saying.

“Nartho i noer, toltho i viruvor. Boe i annam vann a nethail vin,”

“What is he saying?” Glion demanded. “Does he offer us insult?”

The dwarves grew bellicose and gripped their weapons uneasily. Gandalf spoke exasperatedly.

“No, master Gloin, he’s offering you food.”

The dwarves quickly discussed this amongst themselves.

“Ah well, in that case, lead on.”

The dwarves started to follow Elrond and Gandalf up the stairs. Wouna took one step forward, and a sharp pain stabbed at her side.

_“Oh, that's right. My side is torn open,”_ Wouna grumbled in her head.

She took another step forward, but the wound on her side said otherwise. She hissed as her hand threw up to her side. She looked down to see more blood pouring from her wound more than ever before. Large droplets of blood splattered onto the floor. She attempted to call out for someone to help her up, but as she spoke, warm blood rose in her throat, making her gurgle. She coughed up the fluid as best she could, getting the attention of anyone else. Kili and Fili ran to her, helping her up. Wouna tried her best to stand, but her legs wobbled like a baby deer walking for the first time. Elrond quickly rushed to Wouna’s side and looked her over.

“Give her to me,” Elrond said with urgency.

The dwarf brothers hesitated, making Wouna roll her eyes in annoyance.

“F-for the love of God, guys-” she started to say, but coughed again. She spat more blood onto the ground. Fili and Kili looked at each other, and gave Wouna to the elf. Elrond threw her arm over his shoulder, and aided her in walking as he rushed to the infirmary. Wouna felt like such a burden as she was barley walking at all.

When they finally made it to the infirmary, Wouna was immediately laid on a bed. Her vision began to blur. She heard voices talking hurriedly, but she payed no attention to them. She felt the remains of her tunic being cut away. A cloth was gently placed onto her wound, sending a shot of pain through her side, but she didn't make a sound. She felt someone pushing the cloth on her wound. It hurt like the devil himself, but Wouna was too weak and too tired to care.

Wouna felt a hand on her shoulder. Her vision was slipping, and her ears felt like they were stuffed with cotton, blocking her hearing. Her tiredness took over her. She closed her eyes, and allowed herself to slip into darkness.


	8. Chapter 7

_In The Iron Hills, a dwarf named Lalin Thunderblade, stepped on his porch outside his house to watch the sunrise, just like every other morning. The dwarf sat in his wooden rocking chair. He took out his long black pipe, and breathed in the smoke. He smiled as he breathed it out. Ah, Old Toby. His favorite._

_Lalin looked up as the sun just peaked on the horizon. No matter how many times he watched the sunrise, it was always as beautiful as the first time he saw it as a lad. The skies were painted a bright orange, pink and red._

_Lalin continued to watch and relax in his rocking chair. Suddenly, he heard something. He stopped what he was doing and stood completely still, listening. He heard it again. It sounded like... a_ baby _crying._

_The black-haired dwarf stood up and listened for it again. He heard the cries again, and he rushed over to the source of the sounds. He followed the sound, but he couldn’t find the child making it. It sounded like it was right next to him. He turned his head to his right. His eyes fell onto one of his woven baskets that he used for storage._

_He knelt down, and lifted the lid. What was inside, was the strangest looking child he had ever seen. The child had fuzzy tan fur covering their body, and black markings on their face, similar to that of a cheetah. It had a puffy scar on its shoulder. Lalin guesses that had it gotten the scar about 6 months ago. On the top of their head, was a small tuft of orange hair. The child looked up at the dwarf with their bright blue eyes, and their cries ceased._

_Lalin picked up the child in his arms. The strange baby looked at him, their eyes full of curiosity and wonder. He smiled as the baby reached a hand out towards his face._

_The black-haired dwarf touched the child’s forehead. It was as cold as ice! Lalin rushed inside his house. He shut the door behind him and ran to the fire he had going in his fireplace. He knelt down beside the fire in an attempt to warm the child up._

_He watched as the strange child slowly fell asleep in his arms._ _Even though this child had a strange outward appearance, Lalin suddenly felt immense love for it. It was right then and there that Lalin Thunderblade of The Iron Hills decided to do something he never thought he was going to do. Raise a child._

~~~~~~~~

_“Gia... go back to her... find her...”_

~~~~~~~~

Wouna stirred as she forced her eyes to open. She looked to her right, and saw that the sun was just setting. She looked back up to the ceiling and sighed. She almost forgot where she was. She was in Rivendell. In the infirmary. The infirmary…

Her hands flew to her side, and saw that it was bandaged. There were orange-red dots where blood had oozed through the gauze padding. Wouna began to sit up, but a wave of nausea washed over her. She closed her eyes and took several breaths, then she laid back down and continued to stare at the ceiling.

Elrond appeared overhead. “You were very lucky,” he said. “We counted twenty-one tooth marks. Six of which were close to a major artery. By all rights, you should have bled to death,”

Wouna whispered, “Really?”

Elrond nodded. “You have been asleep for two days,” he said. “We have had to change your bandages to prevent infections. Warg’s teeth tend to be a haven for infections,”

Wouna leaned her head back and put a hand on her forehead. “Two days?”

“The worst of it is over,” Elrond reassured. “You should be well soon enough,”

Wouna smiled.

Elrond began to walk away, but turned around again. “Your friends are outside waiting to speak with you. I will let them in, with your permission,”

Wouna nodded. “Let them in,”

The elf motioned a couple of dwarves in, then made his way out of the room. Fili and Kili ran over to her bed.

“Wouna!” they shouted as they hugged her. Wouna hugged them back. They parted the hug, and the dwarves sat on the edge of the bed.

“You look terrible,” Kili said. Wouna smiled.

“How are you feeling?” Fili asked.

“Like Swiss cheese,” Wouna pointed to Fili. “I owe you one, pal,”

“Don't mention it,” Fili said. “Did you know that the others gave _you_ all the credit for taking down those Wargs? Some of the elves are calling you ‘Wouna the Warg Slayer,’”

“Well, they should. I did all the work,”

“No you didn't! You might’ve taken a few down, but _I’m_ really the hero here,”

Wouna playfully punched him in the shoulder. “You’re full of it!”

Fili shrugged and smiled. “Maybe,”

Wouna laughed. Just then, Bilbo came into the room, holding a glass of water

“Wouna,” he smiled as he approached her. “How are you feeling?”

“I guess I’m doing just fine, Bilbo,” Wouna answered.

“We thought we’d lost you,” Bilbo said.

Wouna grinned. “I can’t die, silly! How are the others?”

Bilbo shrugged. “They’re doing fine. But they've complained about the food quite a bit,” The Hobbit handed her the glass of water.

Wouna smiled and laughed as she accepted the cup. “That sounds like them alright,”

The dwarves, Wouna and Bilbo all chatted for a bit. For a few moments, there was an awkward silence, because no one could think of anything to talk about. Finally, Kili spoke up.

“Wouna. We have to tell you something…”

She was surprised by his serious tone. “Alright…”

Kili looked to his brother and the Hobbit nervously, then back to Wouna, who was taking a sip from her glass of water. “We have heard rumors… that… well…” Kili’s words trailed off. “There have been rumors… of a second dragon,”

Wouna gasped, and inhaled a lung-full of water. She tried to cough it up, but most of the liquid shot out of her nose. She continued to cough until she was sure her lungs were empty.

“What did you say?!” She shouted hoarsely.

“A second dragon,” Kili repeated.

Wouna coughed again. “No, no, no, no! You guys are just messing with me! Right?!”

“No we’re not,” Bilbo said. “The people of Lake Town say they saw a second dragon living with Smaug. They say that it’s a bit smaller than him,”

Wouna felt a knot form in her stomach. “Oh, great!” She groaned as she threw her head back. “Now there's _two_ of ‘em!” She showed her annoyance. “That is _exactly_ what I wanted for a Durin’s Day gift!”

“The others don't like it either,” Fili said.

“I can't imagine why,” Wouna grumbled. She quickly got up, and put on a new shirt that the elves provided for her. It was a white tunic, with long blue sleeves, outlined with fur, and a brown hood. “Alright,” she said. “We’re going,”

“What?” Bilbo said. “But you’re not well yet!”

“Funny thing about me,” Wouna said as she lifted her shirt up to reveal her bandaged stomach. She started to unravel the blood-stained bandages, to reveal a almost completely healed stomach. Instead of teeth marks, there were almost completely healed scars. “I heal rather quickly. It's really convenient,”

She snatched her satchel and rushed out of the room, while putting on her black gloves. The dwarf brothers and the Hobbit were trailing behind. They soon found the rest of The Company.

Wouna started to clap her hands to get everyone’s attention. “Alright everyone, wake up, get up, pack your things and steal some food, ‘cause we are leaving. Right now,”

Thorin got up angrily. “You can't order my company!”

Wouna put her hands on her hips. “You heard about the second dragon, so we have to get a move on before anything else happens!”

Before Thorin could say anything, Wouna turned around and left the room. Mostly just to steal food. They were about to battle _two_ dragons. They needed all the energy they could get.


	9. Chapter 8

The company has been traveling for days. They were now crossing the Misty Mountains. The trail was narrow and dangerous, with a cliff on one side and a sheer drop on the other. There was a fierce storm in the air, with lightning and rain all around.

“Hold on!” Thorin shouted.

As Bilbo walked, the stone beneath his feet gave away. He started to fall into the chasm, but Wouna managed to pull him back in time.

“We must find shelter!” Thorin called out over the rain.

“Watch out!” Dwalin shouted.

The Dwarves looked up and saw a massive boulder hurtling through the air. It hit the mountainside above them, causing rocks to fall all around them as they pressed themselves against the mountain.

“This is no thunderstorm,” Balin said. “It’s a thunder battle! Look!”

A stone giant reared up from a nearby mountain. It ripped off a massive boulder from the top of the mountain.

“Well bless me, the legends are true!” Bofur exclaimed.

“Giants; Stone Giants!” Wouna said in awe.

“Take cover!” Thorin warned. “You’ll fall!”

A giant hurled a boulder far in the air. Another stone giant appeared from behind the Company, and it was hit in the head. The dwarves yelled at each other to brace and hold on, and the rocks beneath their feet began to give way from all the vibrations and from the impact of the falling rocks. The ground between some of the Company members split; part of the group was on one side, and part on the other.

Wouna gripped the tiny crevices on the stone wall, turning her knuckles white. As the two stone giants fought with their fists, the dwarves held on tight as they were flung around. A third stone giant appeared, and it threw a boulder at the head of one of the first two. It fell over as half of the Company were smashed to bits.

“No!” Wouna cried out over the storm.

“Kili!” Thorin shouted.

They rushed to the spot where the others appeared to have been crushed, but they were safe, much to the dwarves’ relief.

“You’re all right!” Wouna cried. “You're alive!” 

“Where’s Bilbo?” Bofur asked. “Where’s the Hobbit?”

Ori pointed to the edge of the cliff. “There!”

Bilbo was hanging onto the edge of the cliff with just his fingertips. Ori dove onto the ground and tried to grab Bilbo’s arm, but Bilbo slipped and fell. Wouna’s heart stopped as she watched the Hobbit fall into the rocky abyss.

“No!” She cried out. Without thinking, she jumped from the cliff, much to the Company’s horror.

“Wouna!”

She plummeted headfirst with her left arm outstretched towards the Hobbit. She grabbed onto Bilbo’s waist and held him close.

“Gotcha!” Wouna shouted. She felt a sense of victory until she had one thought: _“Now what?”_

Wouna realized with horror that she didn't know what to do now. She and Bilbo were falling and she had to do something fast. She unsheathed sharp claws from her fingertips, and slammed them into the rock wall beside them. They slid down the wall, leaving long, deep claw marks behind.

“Please stop, please stop, please stop, please stop!” Wouna muttered through her gritted teeth.

They slowed to a stop. Wouna screamed as her hand throbbed. She looked to Bilbo, who looked terrified beyond belief.

“Bilbo,” she strained, panting. “I need you to climb onto my back, and wrap your arms around my neck,”

Bilbo hesitated as he looked down.

“Just don’t look down, Bilbo,” Wouna muttered. “You’ll be hunkie dorie in no time,”

The terrified Hobbit cautiously climbed onto her back, and held on to her for dear life. Wouna unsheathed her claws from her left hand, and dug it into the wall. Then she took out her right hand, and did the same. Soon she was climbing the wall. She occasionally did slip, but she regained her balance every time. Soon, they reached the top. Nobody was there.

“Where is everyone?” Bilbo asked nervously.

“Don't worry,” Wouna assured. “If I know them, they’re in that cave,”

They both walked into the the cave, and sure enough, the dwarves were in there. They were so focused on setting up camp, that they didn't even notice Wouna and Bilbo.

Wouna decided to make herself known. “Oh, don't mind us. It's not like we almost died or anything,”

The dwarves all turned their heads, and most of their faces lit up.

“Wouna! Bilbo!” They cried as they rushed towards to greet them. Fili and Kili were the first ones to hug Wouna and Bilbo.

“We thought you were dead!” Fili said.

Wouna smiled wryly. “I can't die, silly!”

“I thought we’d lost you,” Balin said happily.

“He’s been lost ever since he left home,” Thorin said sourly. “He should never have come. He has no place amongst us,”

“How dare you!” Wouna shouted angrily. “If this had happened to anyone else, you would've been overjoyed to see them alive! Why do you have to treat him that way just because he’s used to the comforts of home?!”

The Company was silent as Wouna turned with a huff and plopped down on the ground against a wall. Gloin dropped a bundle of wood on the floor and rubbed his hands. “Let’s get a fire started.”

“No, No fires, not in this place.” Thorin said. “Get some sleep. We start at first light.”

“We were to wait in the mountains until Gandalf joined us,” Balin brought up. “That was the plan.”

“Plans change,” Thorin said simply. “Bofur, take the first watch.”

“You saved my life,” Bilbo breathed as he made his way to Wouna.

“Well, we got lucky,” Wouna laughed a little. “... I kinda... sorta... jumped off the cliff without thinking,”

“You jumped off a cliff without knowing you would have survive?” Bilbo asked in disbelief.

“Yup. I didn't even know what I was even going to do when I got to you. I just improvised everything,”

“That’s comforting,”

“I know,”


	10. Chapter 9

The Company was sleeping in the cave, but sleep refused to visit Wouna’s eyes. She couldn't stop stressing over the idea of a second dragon. How could there be two of them? When did the second arrive? Was is a Fire Drake? It most likely was. Why else would Smaug allow another dragon live with him?

She shifted her gaze, and saw Bilbo quietly roll up his blankets and pack his things. He grabbed his walking stick, and started to leave the cave, tiptoeing over the sleeping dwarves.

“And where do you think _you_ are going?” Wouna whispered as to not awake the others.

Bilbo turned to face her. “Back to Rivendell,”

Bofur, who was standing watch, jumped up. “No, no, you can’t turn back now, you’re part of the Company. You’re one of us,”

“I’m not though, am I?” Bilbo said. “Thorin said I should never have come, and he was right. I’m not a Took, I’m a Baggins, I don’t know what I was thinking. I should never have run out my door,”

“You’re homesick,” Bofur said. “I understand,”

“No, you don’t, you don’t understand! None of you do - you’re dwarves. You’re used to - to this life, to living on the road, never settling in one place, not belonging anywhere!”

“Bilbo Baggins!” Wouna said as loud as she would without waking anyone up. Bilbo looked up at her.

“I’m sorry…” Bilbo muttered, ashamed of what he said. “I didn't…”

“No, you’re right,” Bofur said. “We don’t belong anywhere,” He paused momentarily, and smiled. “I wish you all the luck in the world. I really do,”

“No, no,” Wouna said sternly. “You will _not_ leave,”

“Wouna…” Bilbo started to say.

“Bilbo,” Wouna interrupted. “You should have known what you were getting into the _moment_ you signed that contract. _I_ certainly did. Even if you did leave, you would never survive on your own. Look, if you’re leaving, I-”

“What’s that?” Bofur asked suddenly. Something was glowing. Bilbo pulled his sword partway out of its sheath and saw that it is growing bright blue.

“Orcs!” Wouna shouted. She heard strange machinery noises and saw cracks form in the sand on the floor of the cave.

“Wake up!” Thorin shouted as he shot up. “Wake up!”

Before anyone could react, the floor of the cave collapsed downwards.

_“The floor is really a giant trap door!”_ Wouna thought.

Before anyone could react, the floor of the cave collapsed, every single one of them falling down a large chute as a small scream escaped Wouna’s lips. They slid through a tunnel, and landed in a giant wooden cage. As they struggled to get up, a horde of goblins attacked them.

“Shit!” Wouna shouted as the goblins started to drag them away.

The dwarves were lead away kicking and yelling. Wouna snarled and unsheathed her claws and scratched out a goblin’s eye. The goblin screeched in pain, and in response, more goblins attacked her, restricting her movements.

The goblin horde brought the dwarves through a vast network of tunnels and wooden bridges to the throne room and platform of the Great Goblin. The Great Goblin was sitting on a throne, holding a mace topped with a skull. He was far larger than any other goblin, and he was incredibly ugly, with warts all over his swinging chin.

Wouna eyed the huge flap of skin hanging off the King’s chin. “I just wanna… _cut_ that thing off,” she muttered.

The dwarves’ weapons were piled together. The Great Goblin jumped off his throne, trampling several goblins, and approached the Company. “Who would be so bold as to come armed into my kingdom? Spies? Thieves? Assassins?”

“Dwarves, Your Malevolence,” A goblin answered

“Dwarves?”

“We found them on the front porch,”

“And they’ve got a _beast_ with them!”

“A beast?” The Great Goblin asked. A couple goblins grabbed Wouna by the arms and brought her forward. “Don't touch me,” she hissed as she struggled against their grip.

“Well,” The Goblin King said. “What do we have here?” He took a crooked finger and lifted Wouna’s head up. “What are you?”

Wouna removed her head from the goblin’s finger. “Even _I_ don't know the answer to that question,” she hissed.

“What are you doing in these parts?” The Goblin King demanded. “Speak!”

None of the dwarves responded.

“Well then, if they will not talk, we’ll make them squawk! Bring out the Mangler! Bring out the Bone Breaker!” He pointed his crooked finger at Ori. “Start with the youngest.”

Thorin stepped forward. “Wait!”

“Well, well, well, look who it is. Thorin son of Thrain, son of Thror; King under the Mountain.” The Great Goblin bowed exaggeratedly. “Oh, but I’m forgetting, you don’t have a mountain. And you’re not a king. Which makes you nobody, really. I know someone who would pay a pretty price for your head. Just the head, nothing attached. Perhaps you know of whom I speak, an old enemy of yours. A Pale Orc astride a White Warg.”

Thorin looked up in surprise and disbelief. “Azog the Defiler was destroyed. He was slain in battle long ago!”

“So you think his defiling days are done, do you?” The Great Goblin laughed, then turned to a tiny goblin sitting in a basket and holding a slate. “Send word to the Pale Orc; tell him I have found his prize,”

The tiny goblin wrote down the message on his slate; cackling, he then pulled a lever, causing his basket to start sliding down a system of ropes and pulleys.

Wouna looked behind her, and saw dozens of goblins carry massive instruments of torture on their shoulders, bringing them to the Great Goblin. She felt a knot form in her stomach, and it got harder when the Great Goblin began to dance and sing.

_“Bones will be shattered, necks will be wrung!_

_You’ll be beaten and battered, from racks you’ll be hung._

_You will lie down here and never be found,_

_Down in the deep of Goblin-town!”_

One of the goblins, was examining the weapons the dwarves brought with them. He picked up Thorin’s sword and slid it a few inches out of its sheath. He gasped in horror and threw down the sword. The goblins howled in fear and rage as they retreat from it. The Great Goblin retreated rapidly to his throne, trampling many goblins on his way.

“I know that sword! It is the Goblin-Cleaver, the Biter, the blade that sliced a thousand necks!”

The Goblins begin whipping the dwarves with ropes and leaping upon them, biting and slashing.

“Slash them!” The Great Goblin cried. “Beat them! Kill them! Kill them all! Cut off his head!”

Suddenly, there was a massive explosion of bright light. A muted shockwave ripped through the area, flinging goblins in the air and destroying the torturing machines. Everyone was knocked down, including the Great Goblin. When the force of the explosion passed, most of the lights in the area have been snuffed out.

Wouna lifted her head to see a shadow with a tall pointy hat. It was Gandalf, holding his staff and his sword, Glamdring. Light slowly returned to the area as the goblins and the dwarves slowly looked up, recovering from the shock. They all stared at the wizard.

“Gandalf…” Wouna whispered.

“Take up arms,” Gandalf said. “Fight. Fight!”

They quickly got up and began fighting the goblins. As goblins ran at Gandalf, he killed them with his sword and staff. The Great Goblin saw Gandalf’s sword and pointed at it. “He wields the Foe-Hammer, the Beater, bright as daylight!”

Some of the dwarves reach their pile of weapons and begin tossing the weapons to each other; they use their weapons to defeat the goblins around them. Goblins came from all sides, making it hard for Wouna to direct her attacks. She swung her blade at a goblin near The Goblin King. The large goblin cried out and pointed at her blade.

“The beast wields The Mangler! The Thorn-Forged!”

Wouna looked at her blade in admiration. “The Mangler,” she repeated. “Now _that_ is what I call a name fit for a blade,” She dug The Mangler into the skull of a goblin to her right, then dug it into the chest of another on her left.

The Great Goblin got up, and ran at Wouna while swinging his mace. Thorin jumped forward and deflected the Great Goblin’s blow, causing The Goblin to stumble backward and fall off the edge of his platform, falling to the depths below.

“Good riddance,” Wouna mumbled.

“Follow me!” Gandalf called. “Quick! Run!”

Cutting down the goblins around them, they all ran along a pathway leading away from the throne room. They sprinted over a wobbling bridge, which led to a long wooden bridge running through network of wooden bridges and shacks crawling across the jagged rocks and over the pit of the chasm. Hundreds of goblins followed close behind.

“Quickly!” Gandalf said.

“Faster!” Wouna shouted.

Dwalin and some of the dwarves cut down a guardrail post from the side of the path and they held it out in front of them.

“Charge!”

They charged at the oncoming goblins and swept them away with the long rail. Dropping the rail, Dwalin pulled out his axes and began knocking aside goblins. Wouna ran towards an approaching goblin, she slid on her knees, and cut the hamstrings of the goblin, making it screech and topple into the abyss below. She cut the head off of another one. As it fell, she saw several goblins snarl as they swung on ropes toward the dwarves.

“Cut the ropes!” Thorin shouted.

Thorin and some of the dwarves cut the ropes holding a raised platform in place. The platform fell outward, entangling the goblins swinging on the ropes. Meanwhile, as Kili fought, several goblins shot arrows at him. He deflected some arrows with his sword. He grabbed a nearby ladder and dropped it on the oncoming goblins. Kili and some of the others ran forward, pushing the ladder and the goblins it has trapped in front of them.

As they came to a gap on the path, the goblins fell down into the darkness. The ladder acted like a bridge for the dwarves to cross to the rest of the path. As soon as they crossed it, Dwalin broke the ladder, preventing the goblins chasing them from crossing it.

“That was brilliant!” Wouna praised.

They continued running through the maze-like paths. They got on a section of the path suspended by ropes. They cut some ropes, and the pathway swung away from the rest of the path, approaching a different path.

Wouna and several others managed to jump to the other path. But before the rest could, it swung back to where it started, and several goblins leapt on. As the path swung back again, the rest of the dwarves and Gandalf jumped to the path as well. They cut the ropes, causing the swinging path and the goblins on it to fall. They ran through the tunnels, killing all the goblins in their way.

Gandalf hit a rock above them with his staff, causing the rock to fall down and begin rolling in front of the Company, squashing all the goblins in their way.

Wouna began to laugh. “Don't mess with the dwarves!” She shouted.

They came across a bridge between two walls of the cavern. They tired to cross it, but suddenly, the Great Goblin suddenly broke through from underneath the bridge and pulled himself up onto the bridge.

“You should’ve stayed down there!” Wouna hissed.

“You thought you could escape me?” The Great Goblin sneered.

The Great Goblin swung his mace twice, causing Gandalf to stumble back and almost fall.

“What are you going to do now, beast?”

Wouna felt anger boil inside of her. A low growl escaped her throat as she bared her sharp teeth, making the Goblin King widen his eyes in surprise. A feeling she couldn't ignore took over her. She clapped her hands once, and a huge muted invisible shockwave ripped through the room. The Goblin King and his surrounding subjects’s heads exploded in a huge, heavy shower of blood. The king fell dead. Wouna stepped back in surprise.

“Whoa!”

The Goblin King’s weight caused the bridge to break away, and started sliding down the side of the cavern.

The bridge slid at a terrific speed down the cavern wall, demolishing everything in its way. The dwarves were clinging on, screaming in terror. Well, all except for Wouna. She was holding on for dear life, but she was laughing and cheering the entire way down, treating this like the most fun she had ever had.

The bridge slowed down and landed at the base of the cavern, breaking apart and burying them in the timber and wood. Gandalf got up from the pile of wreckage and inspected the rest of the dwarves, who were still stuck in the wreckage.

Wouna got up from the pile, laughing. “Yes!” She shouted. “Whoo! That was awesome! Who’s up for round two?”

As expected, no one answered.

“Well, that could've been a lot worse,” Bofur said.

Suddenly, as if on cue, the heavy corpse of the Great Goblin crashed on the wreckage, squishing the dwarves further. They yelled out in pain and annoyance. As the dwarves got themselves from the rubble, Kili looked up. All he could see was the empty slopes of the surrounding cavern.

“They've stopped chasing us!” Kili exclaimed.

“I can't imagine why,” Fili said. He turned to Wouna. “How _did_ you do that?”

Wouna didn't know what to say. She actually didn't know how she did it. She shrugged. “Instinct?” She hoped that that was an acceptable answer.

The dwarves mumbled amongst themselves. Soon, they followed Gandalf and Wouna over the last few yards to the exit.

Wouna paused at the exit to make sure all the dwarves left. When the last dwarf left, she took a step to leave, but the stopped. She felt something. It felt like it was pressing against her ears.

_“Gia... go back to her...”_

Wouna looked around. There it was again.

_“Gia...”_

The voice. The one who kept calling...

The pressing feeling in her ears suddenly disappeared. She quickly ran out of the cave, feeling it be best to forget about the situation.

She caught up to the company, and they kept running down the slopes of the mountain. Gandalf paused to count how many dwarves were with him.

“Five, six, seven, eight...Bifur, Bofur...that’s ten...Fili, Kili...that’s twelve...and Bombur - that makes thirteen. Where’s Bilbo? Where is our Hobbit? Where is our hobbit?!”

“Curse the halfling!” Dwalin muttered. “Now he’s lost?!”

“I thought he was with Dori!” Gloin said

“Don’t blame me!”

“Well, where did you last see him?" Gandalf questioned, clearly as desperate as Wouna was feeling.

“I think I saw him slip away when they first cornered us," Nori reported. At those words, Wouna felt a sense of dread growing deep inside her. She didn't want to believe it, but what other option could there be, other than the Hobbit’s death?

“What happened exactly?” the wizard asked. “Tell me!”

“I'll tell you all what happened," Thorin said with vindictiveness. "Master Baggins saw his chance and he took it! He's thought of nothing but his soft bed and his warm hearth since first he stepped out of his door! We will not be seeing our Hobbit again. He is long gone,”

Wouna felt a spark of anger at his words. “Gone?!” She boomed. The dwarves looked at her, and saw sparks of blue energy flash from her fingertips. “Did it ever occur to you that he might be _dead?!”_

Kili looked at his friend’s blue orbs. Was that… a hint of pale yellow in her eyes?

“No, he isn't," a familiar voice said.

Bilbo steps out from behind a tree. The dwarves looked up in shock and relief. Wouna rushed over to Bilbo and picked him up into a hug.

“Don't you ever do that again, Bilbo Baggins!” She scolded him, releasing him from the hug. “You had me worried!”

“Bilbo Baggins!" Gandalf happily greeted him. "I've never been so glad to see anyone in my life!"

Bilbo strode forward into the group; patting Balin on the shoulder.

“Bilbo, we’d given you up!” Kili said.

“How on earth did you get past the Goblins?!” Fili asked.

“How, indeed…” Dwalin pondered out loud.

There is an awkward silence as Bilbo tried to think what to say. He gave a nervous laugh and put his hands on his hips.

“Well, what does it matter?” Gandalf said. “He’s back!”

“It matters." Thorin declared solemnly before directly asking the Hobbit, "I want to know: why did you come back?"

After a moment, Bilbo started to speak. "Look, I know you doubt me," he said, "and I know you always have." He then shrugged, "And you're right, I often think of Bag End; I miss my books, and my armchair, and my garden. See that's where I belong; that's home…and that's why I came back, because you don't have one—a home. It was taken from you. But I will help you take it back if I can,”

After Bilbo spoke, there is silence as the dwarves thought about what Bilbo said. Wouna smiled slightly, happy that Bilbo has changed so much - for the better.

A cacophony of howls from the west echoed.

“Out of the frying pan…" Thorin said

“…and into the fire." Gandalf finished it before urging the Company, "Run! _Run!”_


	11. Chapter 10

They all ran down the mountain as fast as they could. Wouna couldn't tell if it was just her, or if the sun seemed to be setting faster than usual. As Wargs came closer and closer they ran through the trees.

Soon the foremost Warg catches up to the group and leapt in front of Wouna. She drew her sword.

“Hi doggie,” She said as she pointed her sword at the Warg. “Remember me?”

The dog growled and leapt at her. She dodged it and sank her sword into the beast’s skull. It howled and fell down dead. She removed her sword from the Warg’s skull with a small _‘crack’_.

A few more Wargs caught up to the fleeing dwarves, but they are quickly dispatched. The Company reached a large outcropping of land with a few trees growing on it. They were trapped there, as there is no way off the outcropping besides a great fall down the mountain.

“Up into the trees!" Gandalf shouted, "All of you!"

At his words, the dwarves started clambering up the tree nearest to them as fast as they could.

Wouna, meanwhile ran towards a tree, with a huge Warg behind her. She jumped, reaching for the nearest branch for her to climb onto. From there, she climbed higher and higher along with the dwarves.

She looked down and saw Bilbo tugging his sword that was imbedded in the skull of a Warg. He finally managed to pull his sword out. He looked up to see several more Wargs running at him.

“Bilbo run!” Wouna shouted.

The Hobbit did exactly so as he sprinted as fast as he could. Wouna extended her hand towards the oncoming Hobbit. “Come on!”

Wargs were advancing closer and closer towards Bilbo. When he reached the tree he jumped and grabbed onto Wouna’s hand as she pulled him up. He quickly clambered up the tree just as the Wargs rushed below him.

Dozens of Wargs circled the trees in which the Company members were perched.

“Bilbo, higher!” Wouna shouted as she expertly and swiftly climbed the tree, with Bilbo following close behind.

They reached the very top. They looked down onto the mass of Wargs. “We should be fine for a minute or two,” Wouna mumbled in between pants. Her heart was beating so fast in her chest it almost burned.

The Wargs below ceased their growling and turned as a Warg white as snow slowly approached, flanked by at least six or seven others. Wouna’s eyes widened as she caught site of its rider. It was a massive pale Orc, its face and body covered with deep scars. A metal prong replaced a part of his arm, running through the stub and coming out in a spike at the elbow. With his good arm, the orc held a mace. Wouna knew exactly who it was.

Thorin turned, and upon seeing the orc his eyes became wide with a genuine fear. "Azog!" he whispered.

_“Hate to say I told you so,_ ” Wouna thought.

As his White Warg growled, Azog stroked it and talked ominously. _“Nuzdigid? Nuzdi gast? Ganzilig-i unarug obod nauzdanish, Torin undag Train-ob.”_

Thorin looked stricken with pain and grief. “It cannot be…” he whispered.

Azog now spoke to his Wargs and Riders. _“Kod, Toragid biriz. Worori-da!”_

At his command, the Wargs leapt forward and tried to climb the trees. They jumped as high as they could, scrabbling at the tree trunks and breaking apart branches in their jaws in their efforts.The trees shook violently at the assault, and the dwarves struggled to hold on.

_“Sho gad adol!”_ Azog shouted.

With the weight of the Wargs climbing it, the furthest tree from the edge of the cliff, which Bilbo and Wouna were in, got uprooted from the ground and began to lean wildly.

“That’s not good!” Wouna shouted.

As more Wargs grabbed onto it, the tree tipped over and landed on the next tree; Wouna and Bilbo jumped from the falling tree to the next. However, this tree as well tipped over; like dominoes, all the trees began falling over. All the dwarves, Bilbo, Wouna and Gandalf managed to jump onto the last tree, on the very edge of the cliff. This tree didn’t fall over, much to their relief.

Azog laughed. Looking around in desperation, Gandalf spotted a pinecone. He grabbed it and used his staff to set the pinecone on fire; he then threw it down amid the Wargs, who retreated in fear of the fire. Azog was startled and angry at the unexpected resistance. Bilbo, Wouna and the dwarves gathered pinecones and Gandalf set them on fire; they then threw the flaming pinecones like missiles at the Wargs.

All the area around the tree got set on fire, forcing the Wargs to retreat a distance. Wouna smirked in satisfaction when she saw one Warg gallop away with its fur alight. Azog roared in anger and frustration as the dwarves cheered. Suddenly, their cheers turned into cries of fear as the roots of the tree were starting to give away.

The tree tipped precariously over the edge of the cliff, but came to a rest. It was now sticking straight out away from the edge of the cliff. Wouna fell off the branch she was clinging to, and landed on a thinner branch. She hugged the branch with her arms and legs when she looked down and saw the ground far, far, below. The dwarves tried to hold on as they got flung around. Ori lost his grip on the tree and fell, but managed to grab on to Dori’s leg.

“Aahhh! Oh! Oh no!”

“Mister Gandalf!” Dori cried.

Because of the extra weight, Dori lost his grip on the tree as well and fell, but Gandalf quickly swung his staff down and Dori grabbed on to the end of it.

“Hold on, Ori!” Dori shouted.

“Wouna!” Fili shouted. “Can't you do something… unexpected again?”

“I don't know how I did it that last two times!” Wouna shouted without looking at Fili. “Besides I-”

She stopped mid sentence when she heard a branch crack. The branch she was clinging to cracked at the base of it, much to Wouna’s horror. In a panic, she reached above her and grabbed a smaller, thicker branch. Just as she grabbed the small branch with one hand, the branch she was recently holding onto broke away. Wouna’s feet were dangling as she held on with both hands above her head.

Azog growled. Thorin, clinging to the tree, looked at him in hate and anger. He pulled himself up, his sword drawn, and walked down the leaning trunk as Bilbo and the others, hanging from the tree, looked on. Thorin ran through the burning ground at Azog and his White Warg. Azog spread his arms wide with a smug grin on his face.

Thorin growled as he ran with his sword up and his oaken branch shield held in front of him. Azog crouched, then roared as his Warg leapt at Thorin. The dwarf tried to swing his sword, but the Warg hit him in the chest with its forepaw, smashing Thorin to the ground. The other dwarves in the tree look on in shock.

“Thorin, no!” Wouna cried. With shaking arms, she pulled herself up. She rested her arms as her midsection rested on the branch.

As Thorin got back on his feet, panting, Azog and his White Warg wheeled around. They charged at Thorin again. The pale Orc swung his mace and smashed Thorin in the face before he could react. Thorin was brutally flung to the ground by the impact.

“Nooo!” Balin cried.

Azog roared in excitement. Bilbo managed to stand up on the tree. The White Warg clamped its jaws around Thorin and he yelled in pain. Dwalin tried to get off and tree to assist Thorin, but the tree branches he was holding on to break, swinging him precariously over the edge. Wouna pushed with her arms one last time, and reached the trunk of the leaning tree.

As the White Warg held Thorin in its mouth, Thorin manages to hit its head with the pommel of his sword. Roaring, the White Warg threw Thorin several feet away onto a flat rock nearby. Thorin landed heavily, his sword falling out of his hand.

_“Biriz torag khobdudol,”_ Azog commanded.

One of Azog’s Warg Riders jumped off his Warg and approached Thorin. The orc approached Thorin and placed its sword against his neck; raising the sword, the rider prepares to decapitate him. As he swings his sword down, Bilbo suddenly threw himself at the orc and knocked him over.

As they fought, Bilbo managed to stab and kill the orc. Azog growled in anger. Wouna ran across the trunk of the tree, her sword drawn. She stabbed a nearby Orc in the back. She removed her sword and stood with Bilbo as they stood in front of the unconscious Thorin and protected his body. Bilbo waved his sword wildly at Azog and the other Wargs. Azog smiled in hatred and spoke in the Black Speech to his Orcs.

“I don't know what you just said,” Wouna said, pointing her sword at the pale Orc. “But I know it's bad, so back off!”

A couple of Wargs and Riders approach the two, snarling. Suddenly, Fili, Kili, and Dwalin, who have managed to get off the tree, plowed into the Wargs from the side and started fighting them. Wouna yelled and sliced an approaching Warg’s throat. She turned around and sunk her sword into an Orc attacking from behind.

She saw the White Warg hit Bilbo with his head and send him flying. As the fighting around them continued, Azog and his White Warg approached Bilbo to kill him. Fili, Kili, Dwalin and Wouna have been surrounded by Wargs, and Bilbo was at Azog’s mercy. A Warg snarled at Wouna, and she snarled back.

Suddenly, huge eagles swooped out of nowhere. Some grabbed Wargs and Orcs and tossed them over the cliff. Others knock down trees, which crush the Wargs below them. Another Eagle fanned the flames with its wings, causing an inferno which burned the Wargs. Azog snarled in frustration. One Eagle gently grabbed Thorin and his sword in its talons and flew away. Azog roared in anger and jumped back as an Eagle flew by him. The Eagle headed straight for an alarmed Bilbo and snatched him off the ground. It then dropped Bilbo, and he screamed as he fell toward the ground, only to land on the back of another Eagle.

Wouna ran to the edge of the cliff. She saw the eagle flying below, and she jumped. She landed on the Eagle’s back.

“Hello, Bilbo,” she said with a smile.

The rest of the Eagles proceeded to snatch the dwarves out of the tree and fly away. When only Gandalf was left, the roots gave away and the tree fell off the edge of the cliff. Gandalf leapt clear of it and was caught by an Eagle. As the Company finally left the Misty Mountains behind them, the last thing they heard was Azog's scream of anger and humiliation.


	12. Chapter 11

_It’s been twenty four years since Lalin Thunderblade of The Iron Hills found the strange child in the basket. Everyone in The Hills knew the tale. The child grew fast. The child had trouble fitting in with the other young dwarves her age, but most of them accepted her over time. The one thing she had in common amongst the dwarves, is that she was a fighter. A strong one, worthy of Dáin II Ironfoot’s army._

_Lalin’s adopted daughter, Wouna Thunderblade, earned herself a reputation in The Iron Hills. Everyone knew she was a skilled fighter, and had a fierce mindset. But those who knew her personally, knew that she was curious, and open-minded. But above all that, Wouna was known as The Woman with the Strange Face. Despite the title that the dwarves gave her, she loved her home dearly._

_Wouna wandered aimlessly the outskirts of the Iron Hills. She had finished her chores around the house, and decided to go to the outskirts. Maybe she would find something valuable. That was very doubtful, but she might as well look around._

_Wouna walked across the rough landscape, pebbles crunching underneath her boots as she stepped on the ground. Her eyes scanned the ground side to side, looking for something interesting._

_She rose her head towards the horizon as the sun began to set. The cool evening breeze blew softly, disturbing the peace of the leaves on the trees. When the sun reached its brightest state, the light bounced off something on the ground. Wouna’s eyes darted over to her right on the ground. A white piece of cloth was peeking out of the ground, buried under dirt, rocks and pebbles._

_Wouna strode over to the cloth. She picked it up, dirt and rocks falling off. She brushed the dirt off the surface of the white banner, studied it._

_The instant she saw the black design on the banner, and sudden vision filled her mind._

Blood curdling screams. A burning city. An ash filled sky. A dark figure with a blade of red light slashed through trees with ease. One final slash, and the screams ceased.

_Wouna screamed as she dropped the banner and stumbled back. She landed flat on her back. She crawled backwards away from the banner, panting heavily, her blue eyes widened with panic. What was that?! What did it mean?!_

_She ran as fast as she could back to the house without any pauses. She burst in through the wooden door and made a beeline for her bedroom._

_“Wouna?” Lalin said, sitting by the fireplace in his armchair._

_She didn’t answer as she slammed the door to her room open. She grabbed her travel bag and began packing her things._

_“Wouna?” Lalin entered her room. “What are you doing?”_

_“I need answers,” Wouna answered breathlessly as she continued to stuff her bag. “I need to know where I came from,” She went over to her drawer and opened it. She took out clothes out of the drawer and stuffed it in the bag. She buttoned the bag shut. She left the room, and into the kitchen._

_“You what?” Lalin followed her into his kitchen._

_Wouna grabbed another bag, and began to pack it with food that would spoil more slowly than the rest._

_“I need to know what I am,” Wouna stuffed a bundle of carrots in her bag. Once her bag was full, she buttoned it up. She hoisted it onto her back along with the other bag. She turned to face Lalin._

_“Lalin. I’m so tired of just living with... just living with guesses. I’m tired of just ignoring what I am, just because no one knows. I need to find out who I am,”_

_Lalin digested her words. Finally, he sighed. “I understand, Wouna,”_

_Wouna beamed. “Thank you,”_

_She headed to the door. She opened it to leave, and paused. She looked back to her father. She walked towards him, and embraced him tightly._

_“I love you, da,”_

_Lalin smiled into the hug. “I love you too, Wouna,”_

_They pulled away from the hug, and Wouna went to the door again._

_“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Wouna said reassuringly. “I promise,”_

_Lalin chuckled. “Knowing you, you’ll be back when you’re at the end of your time,”_

_Wouna smiled. “Trust me da. I’ll be back soon. I’ll return on the back of a dragon!”_

_Thunderblade laughed softly. “That’ll be the day,”_

_The daughter of Thunderblade bid one final farewell, and went out into the world on her own, in search on answers. And so started her two year journey across Middle Earth._


	13. Chapter 12

The Great Eagles carried the company over mountains and valleys throughout the night. Thorin lied unconscious in one Eagle’s talons; the others worried about him.

“Thorin!” A worried Fili called out to his uncle.

The Dwarf King didn't stir. Thorin had been unconscious since the Eagles had rescued the Company. The Eagles now dropped off their passengers atop a massive rock structure shaped like a bear. The structure was known as the Carrock. Wouna stared in awe at the beauty of the landscape. Middle Earth looks much more beautiful with a birds-eye view.

The Eagle carrying Thorin gently deposits him and his sword on a flat area on top of the Carrock. Gandalf was next set down followed by Bilbo and Wouna. The wizard quickly knelt beside Thorin.

"Thorin, Thorin!" Gandalf tried waking him.

Thorin wasn't responding. Bilbo and Wouna ran up. Gandalf placed his hand on Thorin’s face and softly whispered a spell. Thorin’s eyes fluttered open and he gasped for air. He spoke weakly.

“The halfling?”

“It’s all right,” Gandalf reassured. “Bilbo is here. He’s quiet safe.”

By now, the Eagles had set down the rest of the Company on the Carrock. Thorin's worried Company crowded around him.

Gandalf and Wouna resumed standing, allowing Dwalin and Kili to help Thorin up. Back on his feet, Thorin shrugged off his helpers. The Dwarf King glared at Bilbo who was standing in front of him.

"You!" Thorin started chastising the Hobbit. "What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed!"

Wouna and the others were shocked at the king’s sudden outburst.

“Did I not say that you would be a burden?" Thorin continued in the same tone. "That you would not survive in the wild and that you had no place amongst us?"

Bilbo looked down at the ground, ashamed. Wouna felt anger towards these words, almost about to give the dwarf a piece of her mind.

But then he said, "I have never been so wrong in all my life," catching the hobbit by surprise with a great embrace, arousing a cheer from the rest of the dwarves. Pulling back, Thorin said, "I'm sorry I doubted you."

Bilbo replied, "No no, I would have doubted me, too. I'm not a hero, or a warrior," he looked at Gandalf, "or even a burglar."

"You're wrong, Bilbo," Wouna replied likewise. "You _are_ a hero,"

The dwarves chuckled in agreement. Wouna turned to view the landscape around them. Far in the east, she could a single, solitary peak rising in the midst. "Is that…?" she began.

“Erebor," Gandalf answered, "The Lonely Mountain, the last of the great dwarf kingdoms of Middle-Earth,”

Thorin looked up at Wouna. “Our home," he stated.

Wouna beamed at Thorin’s words. “Our home,” she repeated.

A small bird chirped as it flew over the Company.

"A raven!" Oin mistakenly identified it. "The birds are returning to the mountain!”

"That, my dear Oin, is a thrush," the wizard kindly corrected him.

"But we'll take it as a sign a good omen." Thorin said.

"You're right," Bilbo sincerely agreed. "I do believe the worst is behind us."

They looked at the sight of the lonely mountain, but Wouna had one question that still needed answering.

“Hey Gandalf?” She said. “Why don't the eagles just fly us there?”

“The Lord of the Eagles is an ally, not a servant,” Gandalf said.

“Okay, I get that,” Wouna said. “But why did they leave us up on the top of a mountain? They could've set us down on the ground. Seems like a lot of work to get off a mountain,”

“I suppose…”

Wouna looked at the Lonely Mountain again, and fear welled within her. A dragon- _two_ dragons probably still laid at the end of the road, waiting for them.

~~~~~~~~

The Necromancer's black clouded form floated above a hooded figure on a raised walkway in Dol Guldur.

“Send one of your bests to the Lonely Mountain,” The Necromancer commanded. “The dragon must be told of the creature they call ‘The Warg Slayer,’”

“Yes, my Lord,” the nodded figure said. The figure stood up, turned and left. As he walked, the figure smirked under his hood. “I have you now Gia Carok,”


	14. Chapter 13

The Company had been on the run for two days. Azog pursued them relentlessly. It was now nighttime. The Company was waiting for Bilbo to return, for he volunteered to scout ahead.

Bilbo peeked over some rocks on a high ledge and watched Azog and his Warg Scouts running along a rock not far away, occasionally stopping to smell the air. Not finding anything, they continued on their way.

Suddenly, Bilbo heard a snarl from the side, and he ducked behind the rocks. He peeked out and saw a large bear watching Azog from another pile of rocks, snarling softly. Bilbo snuck away. The last thing he heard before he left, was the bear’s mighty roar.

Bilbo made his way down the rocks to where the Company was waiting to hear Bilbo's report.

"How close is the pack?" Thorin immediately demanded.

“Too close," Bilbo tersely gave it. "A couple of leagues, no more, but that is not the worst of it,”

“Did they pick up our scent?” Wouna asked.

Bilbo's answer provided cold comfort. "Not yet, but they will; we have another problem,”

“Did they see you?” Gandalf asked. “They saw you!”

“No, that's not it,”

Gandalf smiled in relief and turned to the dwarves. “What did I tell you? Quiet as a mouse. Excellent burglar material,”

The dwarves chuckle loudly in appreciation of Bilbo. Bilbo looked exasperated that no one is hearing him out.

“Will you listen- Will you just listen? I'm trying to tell you there is something else out there,”

At this, Gandalf suddenly became very solemn and serious. "What form did it take?" he asked. The others looked to the wizard, curious as to the meaning of his words. He went on, "Like a bear?"

“Ye...” Bilbo paused and looked curiously at Gandalf. “Y- yes. But bigger, much bigger,”

Wouna raised an eyebrow. “How did you know that?” She asked Gandalf.

"I say we double back," Bofur argued.

"And be run down by a pack of Orcs?" Thorin rejected the idea.

"There is a house, it's not far from here, where we might take refuge," Gandalf heavily suggested.

In situations like this, Thorin had no time for the wizard speaking in riddles.

"Whose house?" he wearily hinted. "Are they friend or foe?"

“Neither," Gandalf answered. "He will help us, or he will kill us,”

The Company stayed silent.

"What choice do we have?" Thorin rhetorically asked.

A thunderous roar echoed throughout the surrounds.

“None,” Wouna dryly concluded.

~~~~~~~~

They have been running for hours, the sounds of the orc pack and the fear of the mysterious bear-like beast being more than enough motivation for them all to continue running through forests. It wasn't until the middle of the day and when they approached the bottom of the mountain. There were open fields where the streams began to gather into ponds and the foliage became green. Gandalf urged them on as they rushed east over long-grassed plains.

The Company stopped suddenly when an ear-splitting roar sounded nearby.

“This way, quickly!” Gandalf urged.

As the dwarves panicked and ran, Bombur looked on in shock until he was pulled along by Bofur.

“Come on, Bombur!”

The Company dashed out of the woods onto a clover-patched meadow. They spotted a house surrounded by a hedge in the middle of a plain.

The Company ran across the plain; Bombur, to everyone’s surprise, outran the rest of them in his fear. They ran through a gate in the hedge.

"Come on, get inside!" Gandalf drove the Company towards it.

Bombur didn't break his speed as he sprinted through the open gate towards the front door. He threw himself against it but fell flat on his back when the door didn't budge. Gandalf and Wouna stood either side of the gate as they hurried the rest of the Company through. The rest of the dwarves began throwing themselves against the door, trying to open it.

Suddenly, a black bear of monstrous size burst of the woods in fierce pursuit. Wouna’s eyes widened in fear.

“Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up,” She urged the Company.

“Open the door!” Gandalf shouted.

Thorin pushed through the dwarves. He managed to raise the exterior bolt, opening the doors. The entire company flooded inside the house and they tried to slam the door shut, but the bear has already gotten its massive head in the door.

As the bear roared and tried to push the door open, the dwarves yelled and strained to close it. Bilbo pulled out his sword and pointed it unsteadily at the bear.

Wouna made her way to the door and pressed herself against it. She and the dwarves pushed the doors closed. The dwarves promptly barricaded it with a thick wooden beam.

Wouna planted heavily as adrenaline still coursed through her body. The Company started exhaling in exhaustion and relief. They took a few moments to catch their breath before looking at the wizard.

“What was that?!” Wouna breathed.

“That… is out host,” Gandalf answered.

Everyone looked at the wizard in a combination of surprised and disbelief.

"His name is Beorn," the wizard explained, "and he is a skin-changer. Sometimes he is a great strong man, and sometimes he is a huge black bear. The bear is unpredictable, but the man…can be reasoned with.

“However, he is not overfond of dwarves," Gandalf added.

The dwarves looked at each other in dismay.

“Who really is fond of dwarves nowadays?” Wouna mumbled to herself.

Ori peaked out a crack in the door. “He’s leaving!”

Dori pulled him away from the door. “Come away from there! It’s not natural, none of it. It’s obvious: he’s under some dark spell.”

“Don’t be a fool,” Gandalf said. “He’s under no enchantment but his own. Alright now, get some sleep, all of you. You’ll be safe here tonight.”

The dwarves started to spread out through the house.

“I hope,” Gandalf whispered quietly to himself.

“I heard that,” Wouna said as she walked past him.

~~~~~~~~

Night fell upon the house of Beorn and most in the house were asleep. The only ones awake were the livestock. Bilbo snapped awake when her heard a creaking sound. It was the sound of the back door opening. He was too scared to move. He was afraid that the bear had returned. He peeked out of his blankets and saw Beorn as a man.

The huge man walked towards the sleeping Company. Bilbo slammed his eyes shut and pretended to be asleep. Beorn only noted the thirteen dwarves and single halfling sleeping on his floor as he walked past them. Bilbo opened his eyes sighed in relief that Beorn didn't kill anyone in the Company as he had feared.

Beorn entered his bedroom. Gandalf dozed in an oversized rocking chair. The skin-changer noticed someone was sleeping in his bed. He approached his bed, and was surprised by the young woman sleeping in it. Beorn was fascinated by her animal-like features.

He lightly brushed a strand of Wouna’s fiery hair out of her face. She stirred, but didn't wake up, and continued to dream.

~~~~~~~~

One of Beorn's bees landed on Bilbo's nose the following morning. The Hobbit woke with a start before shooing the bee away. Putting on his jacket, he saw that Gandalf, Wouna and the Dwarves were crowded by the back door. The door was open as Beorn chopped firewood on tree stump outside. The Hobbit joined the Company.

“Good morning, Bilbo,” Wouna said. “Sleep well?”

Bilbo shrugged. “It was better than any night’s sleep I’ve had during this entire journey,”

“Agreed,” Wouna said.

"Well, I say we should leg it," Nori argued in favour.

Dwalin's warrior pride came to the fore. "I'm not running from anyone, beast or no,”

“There is no point in arguing," Gandalf closed the debate. "We cannot pass through the Wilderland without Beorn's help. We need fresh supplies at the very least,”

The looks that the dwarves gave each other indicated that they knew that Gandalf was right.

“This will require some delicate handling, so we must tread very carefully; the last person to have startled him was torn to shreds,”

“What?” Wouna asked. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

“I will go first," Gandalf said, "And Bilbo; you'll come with me. The rest of you, wait inside until I give the signal that it’s safe to come out,”

The dwarves nodded as Gandalf and Bilbo left.

“What’s the signal?” Wouna whispered. The dwarves shrugged.

Gandalf, clearly nervous, announced himself to Beorn, who was chopping wood.

“Good Morning!” Gandalf said, his voice quiet with unexpected nerves as the wizard cleared his throat. “Good Morning!” he repeated, his voice now catching the attention of Beorn.

Beorn stopped before resting his hands on the knob of the axe. He glanced over his right shoulder.

"Who are you?" Beorn asked in suspicion.

“I'm Gandalf, Gandalf the Grey," the wizard introduced himself with a deep bow.

"Never heard of him," Beorn tersely growled.

"I'm a wizard," Gandalf explained, "Perhaps you've heard of my colleague, Radagast the Brown. He resides in the Southern Borders of Mirkwood."

"What do you want?"

"Well, simply to thank you for your hospitality!" the wizard answered, "You may have noticed that we took refuge in your lodgings here, last night." Bilbo, who had been hiding behind Gandalf, poked his head around for a better look. Beorn spotted him and frowned.

“Who is this little fellow?" Beorn asked, tightening his grip upon the axe.

“Oh, well this would be Mister Baggins of the Shire," Gandalf said, nudging him forward.

“He’s not a dwarf, is he?” Beorn asked.

“Why, no!" Gandalf assured him, "He's a hobbit; good family, and of an unimpeachable reputation,”

"A Halfling, and a wizard," Beorn observed, "How come you here?"

"Oh, well the fact is that we've had a bad time of it from goblins in the mountains," Gandalf explained.

"What did you go near goblins for?" Beorn asked, "Stupid thing to do."

"You are absolutely right…" Gandalf said, waving his hand up and down. Wouna, still watching from the window, takes the waving as Gandalf’s sign that they should come out.

“That must be the signal!” Wouna whispered. With her words, Dwalin and Balin stepped down from out of the house.

“Dwalin, and Balin,” Dwalin announced, nodding his head lightly as the brothers looked towards Beorn.

"Do you call two _several?_ " Beorn growled.

"Well, when you put it that way…erm…well there _could_ be more than two," Gandalf said as he counted his fingers—but then at that, Óin and Glóin came running out and hastily bowing towards the great man.

Wouna noticed how nervous Gandalf was becoming. “I don't think that was the signal…” she said to herself.

“Oh, and here are some more of our happy troop!" Gandalf said, trying to make the situation seem less than what it was.

"And do you call this a _troop_?" said Beorn, clearly growing more and more agitated, "What are you, a traveling circus?"

“Dori and Ori,” Dori announced, the two respectfully bowing their heads like the rest. “At your service,”

“I don’t want your service!” Beorn hissed roughly, stranding taller as he shook his head. 

Before Gandalf could say anything more, Fili and Kili soon came out—followed promptly by Nori, Bofur, Bifur, and finally Bombur, much to Gandalf's shame as he listed them off by name.

“Is that it?" Beorn asked, "Are there any more?”

At long last, Thorin stepped out of the house.

Wouna decided that this was an appropriate time to come out. She stepped out of the door as Gandalf listed her name as well. Upon her, Beorn seemed to focus his attention most of all.

Wouna was sure that bad things would follow, but shortly afterwards, Beorn put on a vest of rough brown fabric and treated the company to a breakfast of nuts, berries, and crushed grains.

The skin-changer had been kind enough to give Wouna one of his chairs as a seat. During the meal, Gandalf told them of their mission, and all that had happened up until then. When they got to the part about Azog, Beorn seemed to pay special attention.

"My people were the first to live in the mountains," he explained, "before the orcs came from the north. The Defiler killed most of my family, but some he enslaved, not for work mind you, but for sport. Caging skin-changers and torturing them seemed to amuse him,”

"There are others like you?" Bilbo asked.

"Once, there were many,” Beorn said as he sat down, finally finishing pouring the company their drinks.

“And now?” Bilbo questioned

“Now there is only one,”

The Company stayed silent. “I’m sorry,” Wouna said.

Beorn nodded to her before continuing. “You need to reach the mountain before the last days of autumn?”

“Before Durin’s Day falls, yes,” Gandalf said.

“You are running out of time,” Beorn said.

“Which is why we must go through Mirkwood,” Gandalf replied.

Wouna didn't know why, but she felt a sense of longing when she heard the name ‘Mirkwood’. What was so great about Mirkwood? When she first began traveling two years ago, her first priority was to avoid the forest at all costs. Why did she feel like she wanted to go all of a sudden?

“A darkness lies upon that forest,” Beorn continued. “Fell things creep beneath those trees. There is an alliance between the Orcs of Moria and the Necromancer in Dol Guldur. I would not venture there except in great need,”

“We will take the Elven Road. That path is still safe,” Gandalf said.

“Safe? The Wood-Elves of Mirkwood are not like their kin,” Beorn said. “They’re less wise and more dangerous. But it matters not,”

“What do you mean?” Wouna asked.

“These lands are crawling with Orcs,” Beorn explained. “Their numbers are growing, and you are on foot. You will never reach the forest alive,”

Thorin looked shocked. Beorn stood up from the table and faced Thorin.

“I don’t like dwarves. They’re greedy and blind, blind to the lives of those they deem lesser than their own,”

Beorn picked up a mouse that had been scampering on the table and held it, all the while approaching Thorin. who was standing with his arms crossed.

“But Orcs I hate more. What do you need?”

~~~~~~~~

Azog immediately led his pack to Dol Guldur as soon as was summoned by the Necromancer. They'd been on the outskirts of Beorn's house when the Company spent their first night there. It was too dangerous to attack with the bear on the perimeter. Azog planned to attack the Company when it was on the road again. Those plans were now on standby.

Azog and his entourage made their way through the fortress. He dismounted his Warg, and walked out onto a raised walkway in Dol Guldur. The Necromancer flew through the air and spoke to Azog.

“We grow in number. We grow in strength,”

“What of Oakenshield?” Azog demanded. “You promised me his head!”

The darkness flew right through Azog, and he spun around to face it.

“War is coming,” The Necromancer said. “You will obey Elyseri’s commands,”

Azog was shocked. The Necromancer changed the terms of their alliance.

“I will lead your armies!” He screamed in protest.

The Necromancer didn't say a word. Azog didn't know what to say. Elyseri was the one who would be commanding the armies? That’s absurd! The mysterious Elyseri never showed himself. All anyone knew of him, was that he created extraordinary creatures.

The Necromancer’s cloudy form dissipated unveiling his most powerful servant. Standing on the walkway where the Necromancer had been, was Elyseri. Azog didn't see his face, for it was covered with a black hood. Elyseri walked towards Azog.

The hooded figure didn't say anything as Azog pointed his metal arm threateningly. “What makes you worthy to replace me?!”

Elyseri said and did nothing for a moment. Suddenly, he stuck his hand out, and an invisible and powerful force threw Azog to the ground. He fell flat on his back. The Orc tried to stand up, but Elyseri’s boot pinned him to the ground with amazing physical strength. Azog could barley lift his mace off the ground.

“Does that answer your question?” Elyseri asked. His voice was deep and rough. He flipped his hood off his head, to reveal his face. Elyseri was a middle aged human, and he had dark skin, and black hair that reached to his shoulders. His orbs were pale yellow, and his face was scarred.

“And don't you forget,” His stare pierced through the Orc’s head. “It's _Lord_ Elyseri,”


	15. Chapter 14

Elyseri kept pinning Azog to the ground for a few moments more. It was so the Defiler and every other orc knew just how much they were under his boot. The message instantly started filtering down the ranks. They witnessed every moment and word. They thought it impossible to have a more terrifying leader than the Pale Orc until now. None of them dared to move.

Elyseri smirked and lifted his boot and walked over the Pale Orc. Azog lay on the ground, wheezing in pain. The man’s strength was beyond compare. Not even loosing his arm to Oakensheild was this humiliating.

“Get up!” Elyseri commanded as Azog got up. “Bolg!”

An Orc much taller than any of the other Orcs, strode up to Elyseri, pushing the other Orcs aside. His heavily scarred albino skin included iron plates embedded in his skull and chest. Bolg's weapon of choice was a two-handed mace resembling a sharp spinal column. Bolg and Elyseri stood toe to toe. They glared at each other.

“Do you thirst for Dwarf blood?” Elyseri asked darkly. Bolg grinned in response.

“Do you thirst for _Oakensheild’s_ blood?” The man knowingly put to Bolg.

Bolg grinned wider.

“Excellent,” Elyseri drew out the word. “I will send a fraction of my best creatures with you,”

Azog tried scraping back a piece of his lost authority.

“What creatures?”

As if on cue, three creatures stepped into view. They walked on all fours, and their fur ranged from brown to black. It’s skull was mostly that of a wolf, but it's nose was nothing like that of a wolf, and seemed to blend into the snout itself. It had two large horns. Behind each pair of horns, there was another small horn, that was curved and had three ends on it. There was white fur surrounding its yellow eyes, and two small horns atop its brow.

It’s body was huge and muscular, it’s paws were huge and it’s claws were long. They all had gigantic feathered wings atop their backs, the feather color ranging from shades of dark blue to orange. Their tails were like that of a dragon, and it had feathers and spikes at the end of it.

Elyseri smirked at the sight of the Orc’s shocked expressions.

“They are my most successful creations,” He said as the creatures stepped to his sides, growls rumbling deep in their throats. “Dæmons,”

~~~~~~~~

The company has departed from the house of the skin-changer, with fresh supplies in their sacks and astride Beorn's white and brown horses. They rode over the rolling hills so smoothly that it seemed like they were flying.

Before they knew it, they had come across Mirkwood itself. The trees were twisted, and the brush inside was wild and tangled, even for forest underbrush. Beyond that, the leaves of the trees blocked out any light, making the inside seem darker than the night.

“The Elven Gate." Gandalf whispered the discovery to himself before calling out, "Here lies our path through Mirkwood,”

“No sign of the Orcs,” Dwalin cheerily observed. “We have luck on our side.”

Gandalf noticed a huge black bear looking down on them from a distant ridge.

“Set the ponies loose," Gandalf loudly commanded. "Let them return to their master,”

The dwarves and Bilbo didn't argue as they immediately began taking their supplies off the ponies. As Wouna dismounted her horse, she looked upon the twisted forest. Mirkwood felt even more sinister to Wouna close-up than at distance. But at the same time, she wanted to go into the perilous forest more than anything. These feelings confused her, so she tried her best to ignore them.

“This forest feels...sick, as if a disease lies upon it," Bilbo observed as he walked towards it. “Is there no way around?”

“Not unless we go two hundred miles north, or twice that distance south,” Gandalf ruled out the option.

Wouna looked at the forest again. She looked at the smallest details. The dry leaves that swept the ground, the brick on the ground edged with moss. The forest felt sinister, but somehow still magical, as if the remnants of the old Greenwood forest still remained.

_“Gia... yield to the arrows...”_

There it was again. Instead of the voice sounding so distant, it sounded so close. As if someone was standing next to Wouna and whispering in her ear. Yield to the arrows? What does that mean?

Just then, Gandalf moved away from the Elven gate, and to Nori, who had started unbridling his horse, "Don't touch that one! I need him,”

Everyone looked at the wizard in surprise and despair. "You're not leaving us?" Bilbo spoke for the whole Company.

"I would not do this unless I had to," Gandalf tried assuring them. "I'll be waiting for you at the overlook, before the slopes of Erebor." He momentarily stopped before firmly counseling Thorin, "Keep the map and key safe. Do not enter that mountain without me,”

Thorin and Balin shared a wary look as the wizard reached his steed. “This is not the Greenwood of old. The very air of the forest is heavy with illusion. It will seek to enter your mind and lead you astray,”

“Lead us astray?” Thorin asked. “What does that mean?”

Wouna looked at Mirkwood. She could almost sense what the forest had intended. "It will first try and get us lost," She said, her eyes not leaving the forest. "Then it will kill us."

The Company digested this as it began to lightly rain. What Wouna had said made the Dwarves even more anxious. Durin's Folk- Wouna included- had little love for the woods – only because Elves decided to reside in them. The fact that elves resided in these woods was bad enough, but a forest trying to kill them represented a whole new level of dread. Meanwhile, Gandalf had mounted his horse.

“You must stay on the path; do not leave it," he stressed and warned. "If you do, you will never find it again,”

“No matter what may come, stay on the path!" Gandalf urged. And with that, he wheeled his horse around as he made to ride away. The Company watched as he rode away into the south, becoming smaller and smaller in the distance until they could distinguish him no more.

“Come on," Thorin began rallying them. "We must reach the mountain before the sun sets on Durin's Day,”

“Durin's Day," Dwalin backed up his king. "Let's go!"

The Company began walking towards the Elven Gate.

“This is our one chance to find the hidden door," Thorin focused attention on the ultimate objective.

Wouna swallowed. She felt like she would find something in those woods. The Company then plunged into the forest.


	16. Chapter 15

How long did they wander in the dark forests of Mirkwood? Wouna certainly didn’t know. Sunlight struggled to penetrate the forest gloom as the days dragged on. It was almost enough to make her believe that day and night didn’t exist, and that time had ceased to exist. The trees around them had grown so huge and tangled together, making Wouna feel claustrophobic.

All manner of poisonous fungi and putrid herbs sprouted amongst the fallen dead trees. Strange black squirrels climbed and darted along the barren tree branches hanging overhead. The air was stale and humid, tinged with the smell of death and decay. There was no birdsong, only the sound of argument of the dwarves.

Thus far, the dwarves has succeeded in staying on the path. The narrow stone path could only be traversed single file. Most of it was covered under and undergrowth. Dwalin often tapped the ground with his axe to find where the path was buried. The path often twisted under trees. They stopped upon reaching a fork in the road. The Elf-path split both north and south.

"Which way?" Dwalin asked aloud.

Thorin waited for a moment. He then pointed south. “This way,”

After that, the road seemed determined to throw them off made that a constant; it took them through twists and turns under, over, and around. There seemed to be no end to it, and the forest around them just kept becoming deeper, and more and more sinister. Large cobwebs even marked parts of the path.

Along the way, Bofur called out from up ahead, "We've found the bridge!" But when they came up to see it, there was barely anything left to call a bridge. The middle section had collapsed into the dark, mist-shrouded water a long time ago. The stream’s waters though were black with white spores floating on the surface. A knotted pattern of vines hanged over the stream from trees lining both its banks.

“What’s left of it anyway,” Bofur dryly said.

“We could try to go across the vines,” Wouna suggested. She jumped forward, and grabbed one of the hanging vines. Soon, the Company was making their way across the stream on the hanging vines. When they all reached the other side, they all sighed a breath of relief.

Wouna’s eyes landed on Thorin, who had a hard stare on his face. She looked in the direction his stare, and a ways off, there stood a stag coated in fur of pure white shining in the gloom of the forest. She found it to be just utterly beautiful. It was the most beautiful thing she had seen in this place.

But then, an arrow whizzed by, startling the stag and causing it to bolt away from them in the trees. Wouna looked over and saw that Thorin's hand laid on his bow, showing the signs that he had loosed that arrow.

“Why did you do that?" she asked.

“You shouldn't have done that," Bilbo said, "It's bad luck,”

“We make our own luck," Thorin countered.

Suddenly, something snapped behind them, followed by a heavy splash. They turned to see Bombur lying in the stream surrounded by vines, fast asleep and snoring away.

Fortunately they were able to extract him from out of the water, careful as not to touch the water, and drag him to the other side. He did not wake up, forcing them, for the time being, to carry him upon a stretcher, an effort that took four of their number to do.

~~~~~~~~

On and on the company went, deeper and deeper into the forest and carrying the heavy weight of Bombur upon their shoulders. Wouna began to feel her head spin, and found it harder to keep on her feet without stumbling. All along the way, the cobwebs grew larger and thicker as well.

Suddenly, Dwalin halted the entire company. "We've lost it," he said, "We've lost the path!"

While the Company argued, Wouna thought about the situation they were in. Would they find the path again if they had a better look at their surroundings. Her eyes fell on the tree beside her.

“Hey guys!” She called to get the Company’s attention. They seemed to not notice her at all as they continued to argue. “I’m going to climb the tree to get a better view! Is that okay?” The Company still argued. Wouna nodded. “Okay,”

She walked away from the Company, and found the tree that looked easiest to climb. It was kind of far away from the Company, but she could still hear them, so she was sure to find them again. She jumped up to grab the nearest branch. “I am climbing the tree now,” She called to the others. “Can you see me climbing the tree?” The Company continued to argue. Wouna rolled her eyes and she climbed the twisty tree all the way to the top.

Her head broke through the trees and into the air. Suddenly, it is as if a spell has been broken, and Wouna’s head cleared. As she breathed deeply, blue butterflies flew all around her. The sun was setting, and everything looked beautiful. Wouna smiled and laughed. She then looked off into the distance and saw several landmarks. One in particular caught Wouna’s eye.

“It’s the Lonely Mountain!” She exclaimed. “We’re almost there!”

Suddenly, the branch Wouna was standing on snapped. She screamed as she fell several feet, bouncing painfully off branches, and yelling in pain and shock the entire time. She caught herself on a branch. She looked around her, and saw she was surrounded by several Spider Webs. She heard something move in front of her. Whatever it was, was hidden from her eyes by the thick webs. She webs in front of her began to move. She watched in horror as the webs parted to reveal a massive spider. As the spider opened its fangs and hissed at her, she screamed, grabbed her blade, and hacked at its face. The spider hissed and recoiled. Before the spider could do anything, Wouna lost her balance and fell again, screaming the entire way. She landed on the ground with a large thud.

Wouna turned herself over on her elbows and back, as she watched the spider jump down from the tree. She scrambled to her feet in a mad panic, and ran as fast as she could in the other direction. Adrenaline roared through her veins as she ran for her life. She stumbled a couple times on some branches and rocks, but nothing was stopping her from getting away from the spider. She looked over her shoulder, and saw that three more spiders joined the chase. Her brain demanded that her body go faster, but her legs could only go so fast.

Wouna’s foot got entangled on a web on the ground, and she fell off a drop-off. She screamed as she fell, but the web on her foot had stopped her from falling. She was now hanging upside down, surrounded by four giant spiders, who were closing in, hissing. Wouna took her blade and cut the web, some of it sticking to the sword. She fell to the ground and began to run again. Four more spiders joined in on the chase, and Wouna was getting tired. The only thing keeping her going was her adrenaline.

Suddenly, a spider from a tree above pounced, and landed on top of Wouna. They both rolled down the slope. When they reached the bottom, the spider pinned Wouna to the ground. It opened its fangs as it hissed. Wouna’s heart beat violently in her chest. Her mind scrambled to come up with a solution out of this situation. She looked a few feet above her head on the ground. There was The Mangler.

Desperate, Wouna reached above her head for the blade on the ground. Her arm muscles stretched out as far as they could.

The spider’s fangs were closer.

Her fingertips were inches away from it.

Fangs inched closer.

Finger tips barley brushed.

Fangs nearly touching her clothes.

One finger bringing it closer.

Almost penetrating her shirt.

Two fingers.

Fangs grazing her skin.

Suddenly, a whizzing sound was heard, and the spider recoiled as it hissed in pain. Wouna looked up, abandoning her weapon. An arrow was in the spider’s head. The spider’s legs were crunched up, and the eight-legged creature was unmoving on its back. She looked up, and saw someone running through the treetops, then he swung down a spider’s silk in order to land on one of the spiders and kill it. It was an elf! Wouna had realized. Unlike all the other dwarves, Wouna did not hold a grudge against elves. But Wood-elves were a different story.

The elf slid on the forest floor under another spider, slicing it in half. Several more Mirkwood elves came, killing the spiders with blades and arrows. Soon, all the spiders that had chased Wouna were dead. Wouna saw that a black-haired elf had an arrow nocked in his bow and pointed at her. The other Mirkwood elves drew arrows and pointed them at her.

Wouna picked up her blade from the ground, and pointed it at one of the elves. A she-elf smirked.

“Don’t be a fool,” The blond she-elf said. “You are outnumbered,”

Wouna looked around at the elves surrounding her. She then remembered the words she had heard before they had entered Mirkwood: _“Yield to the arrows,”_

She gently placed her blade on the leaf-covered ground, and raised her hands up in surrender.

“Wait!”

Wouna turned her head towards the source of the call.

“Hold your fire! Hold your frinkin’ fire!”

Someone pushed through the circle of elves. Wouna’s eyes widened. The person who had shoved through wore green garments, that reached her knees. She had gray cuffs and a gray belt, and both of them had brown designs on them. She wore black leggings with brown leather boots. On her belt, there hung an intricately designed metal gray and black tube. But what Wouna paid attention to, was the face. The stranger had long black silky hair, and big blue eyes. On her face, there were black designs on it, and her face and ears... were feline.

Wouna had trouble forming words. “Y-yo-y- you’re-you’re like... me...”

The stranger moved closer, seemingly at loss of words as well. “It’s cannot be...” she whispered.

Wouna couldn’t describe the feeling that was growing in her chest and stomach. “W-wh... who are you?” She stuttered.

The stranger inspected Wouna very closely. Her hand hovered above Wouna’s cheek. “The scar on you’re shoulder,”

“What?” How did she know about the scar on Wouna’s shoulder? She has had it for as long as she could remember. Cautiously and suspiciously, Wouna exposed her left shoulder for the stranger to see. The stranger gasped. She smiled warmly and tears formed in her eyes.

“I cant believe it’s you...” She whispered. A hot tear rolled down her cheek. “Oh Gia!”

She pulled Wouna into a tight hug. A surprised and confused Wouna slowly put her arms around her. She pulled away from the embrace, and held Wouna’s shoulders. “Look at how you’ve grown...” The stranger whispered, her voice shaking.

“Should I... should I know you?” Wouna asked. She had never seen this woman before in her life. Who was she?

The stranger looked hurt at the question. “It... it’s me!” She tried to reason. She swallowed hard, as if she was about to cry. “It’s me... Ademi,” The woman now identified as Ademi looked down. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t expect you to remember me. You were so little at the time,” Ademi looked up at Wouna again. “But I... I will never forget you...

She took Wouna’s hand and gently squeezed it.

“A sister _never_ forgets,”


	17. Chapter 16

Wouna stammered. She was tongue-tied, aghast. “Sister?” She managed to squeeze out.

[Ademi](https://www.deviantart.com/galaxynerd13/art/Ademi-Carok-790002506) nodded, smiling, and tears threatening to spill. “Yes! Yes! I am your sister! I am Ademi, your sister!”

Wouna processed what she was hearing. She studied Ademi. Every curve of her face, and every hair on her head. Those eyes... those big blue eyes... she had seen them before. She had seen them before... a long time ago. But was that a dream, or a distant memory? Ademi’s eyes... they felt warm and motherly. She had seen those eyes before... and they certainly were not from a dream.

Wouna suddenly hugged Ademi tightly, as she did the same.

“You are my sister...” Wouna whispered. “Somehow... somehow I just know,”

“ _Naya’den_...” Ademi whispered. “Gia...”

Wouna pulled away from the hug, a confused look spread on her face. “What is Gia?” She asked.

Ademi chuckled, “Gia. That’s you. You are Gia,” Ademi laughed, picked Wouna up, and spun her in a circle before putting her back down again. She turned to the circle of elves that had witnessed the entire scene. “My sister had returned!”

A few of the elves smiled, seemingly happy for Ademi. “Come,” Ademi said. “We will return to the Halls of Thranduil, and announce you’re arrival!”

A blonde haired elf stepped forward. “What of the other group that went ahead of us?”

Ademi smiled. “They’re led by Legolas and Tauriel. They couldn’t be in better hands,”

The elf turned to Wouna. “I am Nym, milady. I must ask why you've entered Lord Thranduil’s lands."

"I didn't know these are his lands," Wouna answered non-defensively. "I got separated from my friends,”

This surprised Ademi and Nym. How did this party get past the Wood-elves' border scouts?

"When did you last see them?" Ademi attempted to solve the mystery.

“We were a little ways past the enchanted stream," Wouna replied.

“That's several days from here!" Ademi gasped in concern. "You've been separated for some time,”

Confusion hit her like a brick. How had she been separated for that long? How did she loose track of time for that long? It doesn’t add up! Her head hurt just by thinking about it.

“I have to find them," Wouna stated with renewed urgency.

“We would aid you, milady." Nym prefaced before counseling, “But it will be dark soon,”

“And the spiders are getting worse,” Ademi added. Wouna nodded in understanding. “We’ll find them first thing in the morning,” Ademi said reassuringly. “I promise,”

Wouna smiled in gratitude. “Thank you...” she smiled. “Sister,”

Ademi beamed. She was overjoyed to find her family again.

“We must return home,” Nym said.

Ademi nodded, before taking her sister’s hand. “Come with me,”

She pulled Wouna along. Wouna’s eyes widened when she saw what Ademi was leading her to. An animal. It had sleek, slightly shaggy red fur with a white underbelly. It’s skull and body was mostly that of a wolf. It had two large horns atop its head. There was white fur surrounding its light blue eyes, and two small horns atop its brow. Atop its back, were huge feathered wings. The base of the wings was dark blue, the middle was sky blue, and the tips of the wings were a light baby blue. It had a long, black tail with soft blue fur at the end of it.

Wouna stepped back in fear. It was like the creature that attacked her in The Shire! She looked at it, again, and saw that it wasn’t as large as the other one, but it was still really big. It looked gentle. In fact, it looked kind of cute! It’s tongue flopped out it’s mouth as it panted.

“Hey [Ginger](https://www.deviantart.com/galaxynerd13/art/Ginger-774970603)!” Ademi cooed. Ginger’s ear perked up. “Hey girl!” Ginger jumped on her hind legs and set her huge paws on Ademi’s chest as she licked her face. “Aww... I’m happy to see you too!” Ademi scratched behind both of Ginger’s ears as she wagged her long tail.

“This is Ginger,” Ademi said as Ginger hopped down. “My most trusted companion,”

The elves looked at Ginger. Wouna could tell that they tolerated having her around, but would prefer not to have her.

“ _Viiss_ , Ginger!” Ademi said. With that command, Ginger stood on all fours, and folded her large wings.

“Alright, hop on,”Ademi said to Wouna.

“What?” Wouna asked. Would Ginger be strong enough to hold her?

“Come on!” Ademi urged. “Ginger is definitely strong enough to hold you,” Ademi said, reading her mind.

“Alright...” Wouna said, unsure. She mounted the creature, as Ginger shifted her weight.

“I’m only going to have her walk,” Ademi explained. “I’m assuming that you aren’t ready to fly yet,”

“ _Rÿch_ , Ginger,” Ademi said. And with that, Ginger began to walk. She walked slowly, as to not worry Wouna. The group made their way through the dark forest. As they went, the scenery slowly became more and more inviting and pleasant. While the trees continued to be massive, they didn't seem quite as twisted as the ones she had previously encountered.

Eventually, they came to their destination. They went across a bridge over a powerful river that roared by a huge gate cut into the side of a massive rock, supported by pillars with elegant designs carved into them, and a pair of armored guards flanking a massive door, who opened it upon their approach. Wouna stared in awe.

They entered, and upon stepping inside, Wouna gazed about in wonder at the massive interior of the Elven Fortress. Golden lamps illuminated a network of bridges and staircases, with cascading waterfalls and streams rushing past moss-covered stones. Columns supported the natural cavern ceiling above.

Behind her, the gate shut with a thunderous boom. “We should take you to see the King,” Ademi explained. “I’ll ask if you stay as long as you like,”

Wouna smiled at the news as she dismounted Ginger, before giving her a pat of the head. The elves led her over bridges and up and down various stairs. Wouna didn't mind one bit, seeing how it allowed her to take in as much of the scenery around her as possible. But the tour came to an end; they stopped before turning a corner inside a tunnel, and Nym instructed one of the others to move on ahead. She could only assume that he was the messenger, sent to announce their arrival.

They stood waiting for some time, silence pervading in the air, until at last the messenger elf arrived to let them move on. Ademi and Wouna walked in together. Ademi turned around before walking in “ _Sed_ , Ginger,” Ginger sat down, her right leg sticking out, and her wings plopped down at her sides. It was so adorable.

After another good long while, the sisters finally arrived at a place elevated above the ground, where a throne made of seemingly woven branches stood, crowned with the skull of an elk with massive antlers. The Elven King sat below it, with a crown of branches and autumn leaves on a head of flowing silver-blonde hair, and icy blue eyes that looked down at everything below like a hawk.

“I am told your name is 'Gia' and you are Ademi’s sister," Thranduil coolly began.

“Yes,” Wouna said with a clenched jaw. It took everything in her not to lash out at the King. How dare he leave the dwarves to face the dragon alone?!

“Why are you here?” Thranduil asked.

“I'm a friend of Gandalf the Grey's," she answered.

Ademi’s eyes widened, and Thranduil stayed as stoic as ever.

“And you're in these parts at Mithrandir's behest?" Thranduil almost knowingly asked.

“I'm part of the Company of Thorin Oakenshield," Wouna declared. "I got separated near the enchanted stream,”

“On your way to Erebor no doubt,”

“We plan to kill _both_ of the dragons and reclaim the mountain," Wouna almost growled. Her words echoed throughout the chambers, making the words have a bigger impact than if she had said this anywhere else.

Before Thranduil could say anything back, Ademi intervened. “My Lord,” She said, bowing her head. “I request that Gia may stay here,”

Thranduil said nothing for a few moments. Ademi was worried that he might say no. Finally, he spoke. “Of course,” Thranduil said. “Tonight, so happens to be _Mereth-en-Giliath_ , the Feast of Starlight." Thranduil prefaced before pointedly hinting, "It's an occasion of great importance to my people. I invite you to attend as my special guest,”

Wouna’s mouth hung open. What? “Uh...” What should she say? Before she could give it any thought, her mouth opened. “Of course,” she answered cooly.

“I shall have Ademi accompany you," Thranduil said before concluding their audience. "You must excuse me now, Gia. There are some matters I wish to discuss with Tauriel in private,” He turned his attention at Ademi, “Ademi, take your sister to our guest chambers,” He said. “Ensure her every need is met,”

“Yes, my Lord,” Ademi bowed respectfully to the King. Wouna did not copy this action. She followed her sister from the throne room. Ademi called Ginger over, and he three of them descended down the stairs.

“It’s been decades since the Woodland Realm had any honored guests,” Ademi told Wouna. “Of course, I wasn’t there. With me being only 38 and all,”

“Ademi...” Wouna started. She had been asking herself this question all her life. And now, she finally had the chance to find out. “What am I?”

Ademi smiled as she put an arm around her. “I’ll tell you later,”

“Why?”

Ademi smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. “No offense, but you _stink,”_ she laughed. “We need to get you washed up first,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ademi: (Ah-dem-ee)
> 
> Naya’den: Litter-mate (sibling)
> 
> Viiss: Raise
> 
> Sed: Sit
> 
> Rÿch: Walk


	18. Chapter 17

Wouna sat herself the down into the steaming hot water of the gigantic Jacuzzi-like bathtub. She felt a sense of relief. She let her head rest against the back of the tub as her cuts and bruises soak and she hummed pleasantly. Her thoughts turned to Ademi, who was waiting outside Wouna’s room...

_“Well... I guess it’s Gia now,”_ Wouna thought to herself. She, in truth, liked that name much more than ‘Wouna,’

As [Gia](https://www.deviantart.com/galaxynerd13/art/Gia-Wouna-Carok-RESUBMISSION-790005642) climbed out of the bathtub, she heard a knock on the door. “Gia?” It was Ademi. “I brought a dress for you. Can I come in?”

Gia scrambled to grab a towel nearby. She wrapped it around herself. “Yeah, yeah. Come in!” She pulled a strand of orange hair out of her face as Ademi walked in. She was carrying a light blue dress in her arms.

“I brought this for you,” She said as she spread the dress out on the foot of the bed. The dress before her, was the most elegant dress Gia has ever seen. With her mouth agape, her eyes went over the dress. The sweetheart neckline looked very low, and the sleeves were very long and they were flowing at the end.

“It’s beautiful,” Gia whispered. She ran her hand over the dress. It was incredibly soft and silky.

“Yeah, it is,” Ademi said, beaming. She was seemingly proud of her choice. “That’s why I picked it, just for you,”

Gia’s sister turned to leave, before turning around again. “When you’re dressed, call me, and I’ll finish your look, okay?”

Gia nodded. “Okay,”

Her sister smiled cheerily and left, closing the door softly behind her.

Gia shed the towel around her, and put on the soft dress. She looked in the mirror. The dress hugged her figure comfortably, and it showed off the long thin scar on her shoulder. Although the dress was spectacular, Gia didn’t look great. Her hair was still wet and slightly matted, and the fur on her face was matted as well.

“Ademi!” She shouted. “You can come back in!”

Gia’s sister came back in, and squealed. “Ah! You look so cute!”

Gia raised an eyebrow, not believing her sister. “Really?”

Ademi nodded. “Really,” She eyed her hair. “I just need to do your hair...” She scanned her face. “And maybe some makeup,”

She sat Gia down on the bed, back facing her, and began her work. Gia sat in silence while Ademi’s nimble fingers racked through her orange tresses, pulling here and there to get more strands. The wind from the open window occasionally flooding into the room and the sounds of nature were the only noises present. Before Gia’s mind could even wander a bit into her thoughts, Ademi spoke.

“Finished,” Ademi breathed from behind her. Ademi turned Gia around to face her. “Alright...” She pulled out a small brush. “Close your eyes,” Gia obeyed.

Gia felt the soft, small brush go across her eyelids. “Open,” Ademi said. Gia did just that. Her sister beamed and clasped her hands together. “Ah! You look amazing!” She guided her to the mirror. Gia stared in awe. Her eyelids were painted a very light blue. Her hair was tied in an intricate way at the top, and two curly locks of her hair framed her face.

“Ooh!” Ademi suddenly exclaimed. “I almost forgot the best part!” She quickly walked over to the bed, and picked something up. When she came back, Gia saw it was a small tiara. It was made of silver, intricately made. It had flat, smooth turquoise stone, with gold and dark blue veins running through it. Ademi nested the tiara in Gia’s hair, and squeezed her shoulders.

“Not bad, huh?” Ademi asked.

“No...” Gia breathed. “You did _great_ ,”

Ademi beamed. “Thanks, I try,” she let go of Gia’s shoulders. “Now that you’re ready, I have to get ready,”

Gia raised an eyebrow. “Do I have to wait outside?”

“Unless you want to see me naked...”

“Nope,” Gia said quickly as she closed the door behind her.

Gia leaned on the wall as she waited for her sister. Before she could even get lost in her thoughts, Ademi walked out. Her long, black hair was in an intricate braid, draped over her shoulder. There were two smaller braids symmetrically placed halfway on either side of her hair, a part down the middle, and they met at the back forming into one normal braid that is woven into the fishtail.

“Good Lord,” Gia laughed. “I’d never be able to pull something like that off so quickly,”

Ademi nodded. “I _know_ ,”

Ademi was wearing a simple, dark red dress, with long sleeves, and golden trims. Her eyelids were painted a light green, brimmed with gold.

Gia smiled. “You look good,”

“You too,” Ademi smiled back. “Now, lets join the others, shall we?”

“Yes,” Gia said, “What are we doing again?”

Ademi laughed. It wasn’t a dainty or polite laugh like Gia had heard before. It was a full blown laugh. “ _Mereth-en-Giliath_ , The Feast of Starlight,”

Gia made a clicking sound with her mouth. “Gotcha,”

They both descended down the stairs. When they reached the bottom, Ginger hopped onto Gia and licked her face.

“Aww...” Gia moved her face to avoid Ginger licking her eyes.

Ademi chuckled. “She likes you,”

Ginger got down and Gia laughed. “I can tell,”

Ademi bent down to get eye level with Ginger. “Could you go back to our room, Ginger?” She asked. Gia was surprised when Ginger pranced back up the stairs. She watched the creature walk into Ademi’s quarters, and shut the door behind her with her long tail.

Ademi chuckled at Gia’s shocked facial expression. “She’s probably the most intelligent creature you will ever meet,” she said. “And the sweetest,”

They were about to walk, but Ademi stopped Gia with her arm. “Listen, I know you are not the biggest fan of Thranduil’s,”

“You got that right,”

“Yeah... Anyways, could you please show a little bit of respect? I don’t want you to get on his bad side,”

Gia sighed. As much as she didn’t want to, she knew that her sister knew better. After all, she lived here longer than her. “Okay. I will,”

Ademi sighed in relief. “Thank you,”

Out of the corner of her eye, Gia noticed three people. On a second glance, she realized that the group was two Elven guards hauling a prisoner to the dungeons. Gia stopped in upon recognizing the prisoner.

“ _Kili!”_ her voice echoed about the halls.

Kili immediately looked in the voice's direction. He was covered head to toe in dirt and cobwebs.

“Help, Wouna!" Kili shouted back as he tried planting his feet. "Thranduil is trying to stop us!”

The guards forcibly shoved and dragged Kili down a passageway. Gia hitched her dress before she ran in his direction, ignoring Ademi’s plea to stop. She headed to the passage leading to the dungeons. She suddenly bumped into a red haired she-elf who blocked her path.

“I'm sorry, milady," The she-elf gently told her. "You're not allowed down there,”

Gia was enraged. “Okay, I don’t know who you _think_ you are-!”

“I am Tauriel,” the elf inturrupted. Her voice was stern, but gentle. “Captain of the Guard,”

Ademi caught up behind Gia. “I’m sorry, Tauriel,” she apologized. She tried to pull Gia back. “She just-”

Gia freed herself from her sister’s grasp. “Why?!” She demanded. “Why can’t I go in?!”

“By order of the king," Tauriel sternly said by way of explanation.

“ _Oh yeah?_ ” Gia asked angrily. She stormed off towards the King’s chambers.

The King of the Woodland Realm was seated comfortably on his throne as a series of hurried footsteps echoed up the stairs. Gia stormed towards him with a worried Tauriel and Ademi in tow.

“Gia,” Ademi said worriedly. “Gia, you should _really_ think abou-”

“Oi! Twig Crown!” Gia shouted at the King, interrupting Ademi.

Thranduil had earlier ordered the guards to allow Gia to pass through. It was an order Tauriel and Ademi weren’t aware of. Disrespectful guests were things Thranduil usually had no tolerance for.

“Apologies, milord," Tauriel said, trying to placate him.

She and Ademi were surprised when Thranduil gave her a dismissive wave.

“None will be required, Tauriel," he assured her. "I am sure that Gia would not come in here without a good reason,”

Gia growled. The thing she didn’t like about the Elf-King, was that she couldn’t tell if he was being sincere or he was secretly insulting her.

“Why did you throw my friends in cells?!" She demanded. “Explain yourself!”

Ademi buried her face in her hands in embarrassment and dread.

“I was willing to let your friends go,” Thranduil explained. “All Oakenshield had to do, was to return something of mine. He responded by telling me, Ish kakhfê ai’d dur rugnu,”

“ _Ish kakhfê ai’d dur rugnu,”_ Gia mouthed to herself. She felt herself become angry at the King. “You're the one who ordered the Elves to turn back!” She recalled the story.

The King didn’t miss a beat. He slammed his fists into the armrests of his throne, making Gia step back in surprise and fear.

“Thror ignored _all_ of my warnings. His grandson has the same pride, and the same stubbornness," Thranduil leaned forward to drive home his warning. "Leave the Company while you still can. You will mean _nothing_ once Oakenshield steps foot in that mountain. And as he descends into madness, he will bring you, and everyone else down with him,”

Gia wanted nothing more than to argue, but she remembered Gandalf telling Thorin his pride would be his downfall. But her faith in Thorin had grown exponentially since then.

“Please,” Gia said softly. She hated that she had to beg to The Elf King. “Let me see them,”

“If I allow it," Thranduil tested Ademi’s sister, "will you give me your word. Will you give me your word... as _Elf-friend_... you will not help them escape?"

Elf-friend? Gia wanted nothing more than to free the Company from captivity. But if Gia lied, and set the dwarves free, Thranduil could use that against her, and inform all the elf civilizations that she had turned against his people. If he ever told Elrond, she might never be able to return to Rivendell. Her dear Rivendell. The truth was her only choice in answering Thranduil's question – even if it didn't set any one free.

"No," Gia admitted. "I can never. _Ever_. Promise that,”

“Thank you, Gia," Thranduil said. "Few in your place would be as honest. I nonetheless must decline your request,”

He paused for a few moments before speaking again.

“I hope to see you at The Feast Of Starlight?”

Gia turned to leave. “You will,”

Gia left the throne room. Ademi followed quickly behind her. She grabbed her shoulders and turned her around to face her.

“What were you thinking?!” She scolded. “You were _so_ lucky to get out of that!”

“I _know!”_ Gia shouted back angrily as she pushed her sister away.

“You need to get your priorities straight, right now!” Ademi shouted.

Anger boiled inside Gia. “You have no right to talk to me that way!”

“No _right!?_ ” Ademi shouted, quickly taking a step forward. “I have _every_ right! You have to learn to never. _Ever_ blindly do something with no reason. Always think about that you are about to do first,”

Gia wanted nothing but to argue, but deep down, she knew that her sister was right. Reluctantly, she nodded in understanding.

“Good,” Ademi said. She put a hand on her sister’s shoulder. “Let’s lighten the mood shall we? Let’s go,”

~~~~~~~~

The Feast Of Starlight was beginning soon. Gia and Ademi made their way to the table. The pair had the room's attention as they made their way to the table.

All attendees kept gazing at the sisters. Some whispered in Sindarin. Ademi and Gia stopped before the King. Thranduil wore a ruby red coat over his silver robes. Following the advice of Ademi, Gia gave the Elf-king a respectful curtsy.

“Thank you, Gia," Thranduil acknowledged her gesture. "Your presence honors us all,”

Gia was surprised. How could her presence honor him? He knew she was associated with the dwarves. But... he did personally invite her.

Despite her surprise, she answered. “You personally invited me, milord," Gia responded in a neutral tone. "How could I not attend?”

Thranduil's eyebrow rose ever so slightly. He was unsure if he was being thanked or insulted. His self-control allowed him to calmly move on.

“Please sit by me," Thranduil gestured to the seat right of his.

Gia tensed. Oh boy... the dwarves wouldn’t like this. Not one bit. Despite these thoughts, Gia sat down next to the Elf-King. Servants pulled back the chairs at the head of the table for their occupants. Thranduil was seated between his son, Legolas, and Gia. Ademi sat down in the seat next to Gia.

The Feast of Starlight soon began. Thranduil commenced proceedings with some solemn words about the occasion's importance to the Wood-elves. He then led his guests in a series of toasts. That included a toast to the King's special guest. Gia felt _very_ awkward about it to say the least. She could barley understand a word of Sindarin. She only understood a couple of words at the very most.

Soon, dinner was served. An ensemble of Elven musicians played a gentle background melody. The meat was dressed in herbs before being roasted to perfection. Gia could think whatever she wanted of Thranduil; but Gia wouldn't deny the Elf-king had excellent taste in wine. When she was drinking her glass, she noticed that Ademi wasn’t drinking her wine.

Gia swallowed before speaking. “Why didn’t you have some?”

Ademi smiled. “I don’t drink,”

“Why not?”

“It... dulls my senses,”

“Uh, huh. Well, you wouldn’t mind if I take this, then would you?” Gia said as she took Ademi’s glass and drank it. She finished it when the evening reached its climax.

The sail roof was pulled back revealing the night sky. Gia joined her hosts in simply taking in the heavens. She'd never seen so many stars so clearly. It was then an Elven soprano's voice sang clearly throughout the hall.

_"Hae ephadron_

_Theri thaur_

_Am na dhû_

_Ias fîr i ambar_

_A trehil i 'alad 'lân uir tri 'wilith,”_

Gia was deeply moved by he song. Suddenly, a strange sound rang out. Gia and the others looked towards the direction of the sound. Many Elves began to cheer.

“Hey, Ademi, wha...” Gia began, but found that Ademi was nowhere to be seen. “Ademi?” She looked around some more.

Strange, but beautiful music began to play. Gia looked at the instruments being played. Most of them were elven, but one of them, caught Gia’s eye. She had never seen anything like it.

Suddenly, the silver curtains were pulled back, to reveal two dancers. One of them was wearing a dark blue dress with two yellow laces. The other wore another dark blue dress, but with one white lace across her chest. The dresses themselves reached their knees, and had a slit on their sides. Then, a third dancer came out. It was Ademi. She wore a lighter blue dress. The blue faded to a black color at the bottom of the skirt. All three of them held long, dark blue ribbons.

Gia leaned into the nearest elf, Nym. “What is this?” She whispered.

“This is _Ztrona a Selari_ ,” Nym explained. “Ademi introduced it to us when she arrived. Ademi says this dance had great cultural significance to her place of origin,” Nym sighed. “But that still doesn’t stop any of the males from fawning over the females,”

Gia looked around, and sure enough, most of the males had their eyes glued to the dancers. She snickered.

_Ztrona a Selari_ soon began. The dancers raised their blue satin ribbons, and began to dance. Gia and the others watched in awe as the ribbons flew through the air. The ribbons and choreography were precisely synchronized. The ribbons formed patterns and designs in the air, that captivated all who watched. Gia knew just by watching, that this dance took patience, practice, and precision.

The ribbons made large and flowing movements, floating above the dancer’s heads. However when the music sped up, so did the choreography. Sharp and quick movements of the arm gave the look of fluttering and flapping, that brought an equal amount of beauty to the dance. The music dictated their motions and expressions.

When the beautiful dance was finished, everyone cheered and clapped. Gia stared in awe as she clapped slowly. The dancers bowed and went back behind the curtains.

“That was amazing!” Gia exclaimed.

“Yes, it is,” Nym replied. Gia watched Nym’s eyes as he watched Ademi go back behind the curtain. Her eyes widened. Then she grinned like a dope when she realized what was going on.

“Ooohhh,” Gia smiled mischievously. “You _like_ Ademi, don’t you?”

Nym immediately flustered. “W-Wh-What?!” He stammered. “No I- uh- do-don’t! That’s absurd!”

She laughed. “Yes you do! Yes you do! I can tell!”

“How!?”

“I could tell by the way you watched her go behind the curtain,” Gia explained. “It’s so obvious,”

Nym blushed and looked down. “Really?”

“Really,” Gia smiled. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me,”

Nym smiled appreciatively. “Thank you,”

She patted his shoulder. “For now,” Then she sped away before Nym could say anything. She walked towards the musician holding the strange instrument.

“Excuse me,” Gia said, getting the musician’s attention. “Which instrument is that?”

The musician smiled. “This is called a Lorabun,” he explained as he displayed the instrument for Gia to see. It had a thin neck, with three strings strung along it. It had three legs at the top, and at the bottom, was a hollow cylinder. “The Lorabun can be plucked or played with a bow,” The musician said, holding out the bow. “When Lady Ademi first came to Mirkwood, she made the Lorabun with her craftsmanship skills.

“Me and a few others were the only Elves to show interest in playing the Lorabun, so she taught us how to play it. It is a difficult instrument, but it’s easy when you get the hang of it,”

“As are all instruments,” said the cheerful voice of Ademi. She came up behind Gia and approached the musician. “Let me show you how it’s done,”

The musician handed the delicate instrument to Ademi. She sat down in a nearby chair and began to play. Gia was nearly moved to tears. The elf was excellent at playing the Lorabun, but Ademi’s playing put him to shame. Each note was filled with emotion, beauty and passion. The bow glided across the small strings, making them vibrate ever so slightly. When Ademi was finished, Gia beamed. She was filled with a pride for her sister. As if she was with Ademi when she first started playing, and was finally seeing her play it perfectly.

“That was...” Gia was at loss for words.

Ademi smiled as she handed the instrument back to the elf. “Thank you, Gia,” she looked at the elf musician. “In only a few short years, you’ll start to sound like that,”

The elf smiled. He bowed respectfully and left, Lorabun in hand.

_“Tik'ra,”_

“Hmm?” Gia questioned.

“ _Tik'ra,”_ Ademi repeated as she smiled. “It means passion. He has much _Tik'ra_ ,”

Gia decided to change the subject. “That dance you did earlier. You did great,”

“Thank you,” Ademi beamed. “It only took ten years to perfect,”

Gia’s mouth hung open. “ _Ten years!?_ ”

“Ten,”

Gia sat down on a step, and Ademi did the same. “Why does it take that long to perfect a dance?”

“In our culture, this dance represents everything we stand for,” Ademi explained. “Beauty, grace, happiness, peace and _Tik'ra_. When someone does _Ztrona a Selari_ , you are representing a whole culture. You can’t afford to make any mistakes. Sure, I did make some mistakes along the way, but that’s what leads to perfection,”

“Our culture...” Gia whispered. She swallowed hard. She was almost afraid to ask the question. “Ademi... where are we from? What are we?” She paused. “What am I?”

Ademi thought for a few moments, then nodded. “Okay,” She stood up and reached her hand out towards Gia. “Come with me,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lorabun: (Lore-ah-boon)


	19. Chapter 18

Elyseri rested his arm on a tall rock. Elyseri was no longer a mere human as such. His strength, mental and physical, was stronger than ever before, thanks to a spell of the Necromancer's. Elyseri smiled to himself, when Azog joined him.

“You wanted to see me?”

“I would like your opinion on something," Elyseri simply said.

Azog followed Elyseri into the dungeons of Dol Guldur. The dungeons were deep in the hill the fortress was built upon. Azog needed to carry a torch. He tried guessing why The Creator had brought him down here. He and the Creator halted within a darkened torture chamber.

“I've been putting together a force of my own," Elyseri revealed.

“Why are they kept down here?" Azog expressed his confusion.

“I don't want anyone seeing them quite yet," Elyseri said. "You're the first,”

“Do you want me to examine them? To see if they're ready for battle?

Elyseri said nothing. Suddenly, the fire on the torch Azog was holding began to get bigger and brighter. He almost dropped it in surprise. The fire, to Azog’s amazement and confusion, floated up towards Elyseri. The Creator held his hand out, and the fire sat in his hand. The fire grew bigger, and Elyseri threw it down the dark hall. The bright flame illuminated the torches along the walls.

What the fire revealed, made Azog abandon all thought of betraying Elyseri. Azog's opinion about the force was written all over his face – pure horror. The Creator was satisfied with the reaction.

“I am pleased that you like it,” Elyseri wryly said.

Azog shot him a disturbed look. Not even the Necromancer had ever assembled such a force.

“If they disturb you,” Elyseri said, “Imagine how much they will _terrify_ the enemy,”

~~~~~~~~

Ademi and Gia were back in Ademi’s quarters. Gia sat on the bed. Ginger was sleeping soundly next to Gia, her huge head in her lap.

“You want to know where you came from, and what you are,” Ademi said. She was standing up in front of Gia. “You want to know our species?”

Gia nodded. “And our home. Please,” She was eager to find out the truth about what she truly was. But yet, she was hesitant. What if she didn’t like what she heard?

Her sister nodded. “We are what is known, as a Cathar,”

“Cathar,” Gia repeated. The word felt strange and foreign on her tongue. Gia expected to feel overwhelmed, but she didn’t. In fact, she felt strange that the answer to the question that she had asked herself for so long, was answered in one word. “Cathar...”

“You and I are from the planet Srinu,”

Gia cocked her head. “Planet?”

Ademi turned around, and opened her dresser drawer. She pulled something out and closed it. She turned to face Gia. She was holding a small, black disc. Gia cocked her head again. “What’s this?”

Ademi presses the small blue button on the disc. Suddenly, blue light projected from the disc, making Gia gasp in shock and in fear.

“This is a projection of the galaxy,” Ademi explained. The blue light took shape. There were many floating spheres, and stars.

“These are planets,” She pointed to one of the spheres. “They are all different worlds,” She explained in such a way that Gia would understand.

“Those are what worlds look like?” Gia asked in wonder and awe.

“Yes. The universe goes on forever,” Ademi explained.

“Forever?”

Gia’s sister nodded. “Forever. There are billions and billions of stars. There are billions and billions of worlds. It would take all the lifetimes in the universe to explore them all,”

The blue light closed onto one planet. “This is Srinu,” Ademi said. There was a hint of sadness and longing in her voice. She stared at the projection of the planet for a few moments. “Our home,”

Home. The simple word, home, hit Gia like a rock. She felt a surge of joy as she processed what she had heard. Her home. She belonged somewhere. She truly belonged somewhere. The place where she was meant to be. “Will we ever make it back?”

Ademi shook her head. “No,”

Gia’s hope and joy deflated.

“Not unless we find a ship. If not, we will be stuck in Middle Earth forever,”

“There are plenty of ships in Middle Earth,” Gia reasoned.

“The ship I speak of, is nothing like the ship you are thinking about,” Ademi explained. “You are thinking of a ship with sails,” She pressed another button on the disk. “But this is the ship we need,”

The picture changed to a strange, big metal barge. It flew through the air, and shot blasts of light.

“This is a ship,” Ademi said. “It can travel throughout space, and it can go to many different planets,”

Gia stared in awe. “I don’t think we can find a ship like that here,”

Ademi chuckled. She loved how curious and open-minded her sister was. When she has explained this to the Elves, they weren’t as believing or accepting as Gia was being. Most of them quickly rejected the idea of their being other worlds besides Middle Earth, but over time, they were willing to learn more about the other worlds surrounding them.

“You’re right,” Ademi said. “When I first came to Mirkwood, I still had a thread of hope that I could make it back home, but that hope was quickly diminished. I accepted the fact that I was stuck here, and started to build my life here. I introduced parts of Srinu culture to make it feel more like home, but it wasn’t the same,”

Gia nodded, but there was one question in particular that nagged in the back of her mind. “How did you get to Mirkwood?”

Ademi hesitated. “I can tell you how I got to Mirkwood, but I can’t tell you anything else,”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I can’t tell you...” Ademi brushed her hair back. “I can’t tell you how you and I got to Middle Earth,”

“What? Why not?”

Ademi sat next to Gia on the bed, making Ginger move from her spot next to Gia, and next to Ademi’s side. She sighed and shook her head, and spoke softly. “Because I don’t remember any of it,”


	20. Chapter 19

“What do you mean, you don’t remember any of it?!”

“I mean I don’t remember!” Ademi said defensively. “I don’t remember how we got to Middle Earth!”

“Earlier you said ‘a sister never forgets!’”

“I was talking about how I would never forget _you!_ ”

Gia brushed her hair back. “Oh, how touching!” Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.

Ademi sighed. “Listen, there is no reason to yell. I can tell you everything I can remember, and no more,”

Well, that’s better than nothing, Gia thought. “Alright,”

“Good,” Ademi cleared her throat and began her tale.

_“Many generations ago, Chief Lunardein ruled over the planet of Srinu. By his side, was his most trusted friend and advisor, Alaser._

_“But one day, five strangers came to Srinu. One of them told Lunardein a prophecy. She foretold that Lunardein’s line would end Alaser’s line, and blood would rule many worlds. This would be known in Srinu as ‘The Five Strangers Prophecy’”_

_“Alaser was furious. He set out to change his fate, but what he did next, only sealed it for all eternity._

_“Alaser had killed Lunardein’s children and his wife. He was brought before The Chief of Srinu. Alaser swore that he would never let the prophecy be fulfilled._

_“Lunardein only said one word before banishing him forever. The word that would resonate within the line of Alaser for all eternity..._

_“Leave,”_

Ademi paused to let Gia digest the story.

“That’s where it all started,” Ademi explained. “The Tale of the Five Strangers is the most well known story on Srinu. Everyone knew it,”

“Who is Lunardein?”

“He is our ancestor, and the first in the long line of many great Chiefs. We are the last of the line of Lunardein,”

“If we’re the last of Lunardein’s line...” Gia said slowly. The realization suddenly hit her. “Wait! That makes you...”

Ademi nodded. “Yes. I am the heir to the throne of Srinu,”

Gia’s mouth hung open. Ademi giggled at the sight. She reached down to her belt, and unclipped the metal cylinder hanging from it. She pressed a button, and a brilliant blade of white light emitted from it, making Gia jump back.

“This is a Lightsaber,” Ademi twirled her weapon, making a humming noise as it moved. “These are the weapons of the Jedi Knights. But when Lunardein learned how to fight with a saber, he made it a tradition that all of his descendants would learn the ways of the Lightsaber,” She twirled it again. “And this one, is mine,”

Gia’s mouth still hung open. Ademi laughed and deactivated her Lightsaber

“Don’t think about that too much,”

“What do you mean ‘Don’t think about it too much?!’ I just been told all of this, and yo-”

“Shush,” Ademi interrupted. “Let me finish the story,” She cleared her throat again and continued.

_“Our father, Chief Omaru, and our mother, Queen Emni, both ruled Srinu. They were adored by the people, and thought to be the greatest rulers of Srinu. Besides Lunardein of course._

_“They had three children. Their eldest, was Hantu. He was fierce and loyal to the throne. He had a great military mind. Despite his young age, only 22, he lead the armies to many great victories. Their second eldest, was me. I was only 10, so I caused a lot of trouble, but our parents tried their best to straighten me out. Their youngest and most frail, was you. Little Princess Gia._

_“When you were born, the people believed that you were destined for great things. But then again, that’s what they said about all three of us._

_“For years, Srinu was happy and at peace. But, soon after, everything changed._

_“About 26 years ago, Srinu fell under siege. Armed forces and strange beasts were pouring into the cities, burning and killing everything in their sight. When our father found out who was leading them, he told all of us to run._

_“He didn’t tell us who was leading the forces, but deep down, everyone knew who it was. The direct descendent of Alaser. The most dangerous in the line of Alaser, Elyseri the Creator._

_“Elyseri had kept Alaser’s promise to wipe out the line of Lunardein, and he made sure that everyone on Srinu knew that._

_“When Elyseri made his way into our home, our father was quick to defend us. He fought Elyseri, giving me, you, Hantu, and our mother time to run. But, our father quickly lost. He was no match for Elyseri._

_“That was one of the worst moments of my life. When our father fell, Elyseri swung his Lightsaber straight at us, and he got you. Elyseri gave you the scar on your shoulder, when you were only one year old._

_“The last thing I remember, was our mother taking out her Lightsaber, and jumping to fight Elyseri. Then the rooftop crumbled from the fires. A brick fell hard on my head, and everything went black,”_

Gia was at loss for words. All of those things happened, and she didn’t even know. She lived her entire live with a scar, not knowing who scarred her. She lived her entire life not knowing what her family did for her.

“I know it’s a lot to take in,” Ademi interrupted Gia’s thoughts. “But that is the truth,”

Gia found her voice again. “What else... do you remember?”

_“I woke up with our mother and Hantu over my head. They were so scared that I wouldn’t wake up. I noticed right away that we weren’t on Srinu anymore. I asked where we were. Hantu said that this was a new and hidden planet that he and mother found, and that we would be safe from Elyseri._

_“It was only after many years later, I learned that the planet we were on was called Middle Earth. And the region we were staying at, was called the Iron Hills._

_“We lived on the outskirts of the Iron Hills in secret for six months. No one knew that we were there. I felt safe, but I should have known better._

_“One evening, the sun was beginning to set, and I decided to go out and play before the sun set completely. I tried to climb a tree a little ways away from our camp. I wasn’t, and still am not, very good at climbing trees. When I made it to the first branch, I felt a sense of victory. I felt like I could do anything._

_“But that was before I heard deep growling, and vicious howls and snarls. I saw one of the creatures from the attack on Srinu, it’s menacing eyes fixed on me. I screamed and dropped from the tree. I ran to our camp as fast as I could._

_“But before I was even halfway there, a creature swiftly appeared right in front of me. I screamed again, but I felt arms wrap around me. I looked up, and Elyseri was looking straight down at me. I was too terrified to even move. I was looking into the yellow eyes of my father’s murderer, and I couldn’t do anything._

_“Before I could even move, or even snap out of my fear, I felt a blunt force hit me on the head, and all went dark,”_

“What happened to Hantu and our mother?” Gia asked frantically.

“I asked the same question all those years ago,” Ademi said. “But after Elyseri caught me, I found that out for myself,”

_“I woke up with heavy chains around my wrists. I was in a stone fortress, with no roof, and some of the walls deteriorating. Elyseri’s strange animals surrounded me, snarling and growling. I’ve never been more scared in my entire life._

_“Elyseri then strode in, with a smug grin on his face. Despite my fear and tears, I demanded to know where mother and Hantu were. Instead on answering, he just grinned and threw two Lightsabers to my feet. They belonged to Hantu and mother._

_“I broke down in tears. He didn’t need to say a word for me to know what he did to them. He lifted my chin up, and told me not to cry, because I would see them again soon. My heart dropped as I realized that he was going to kill me too. Elyseri seemed to sense my fear. So he decided that he would make me wait for my demise, saying he wanted the pain of the wait to be almost as painful as the death itself._

_“He turned away, and his creatures turned and walked away with him. I openly wept. I was a helpless, 10 year old girl, struggling against chains, with no way out. Or so I thought._

_“An animal soon approached me. It was small and young compared to the others. It’s wings were small, and looked incapable of flight, but it didn’t matter to me. I closed my eyes, thinking that this was the way that Elyseri was going to kill me. But instead of feeling teeth on my neck, I felt teeth on my wrist. I opened my eyes, and saw that the animal was gnawing though the shackles on my wrists. The shackles soon broke, and I was shocked. Why would one of Elyseri’s minions help me?_

_“But I didn’t have time to think about it. I quickly grabbed Hantu’s and mother’s sabers, and hid them in my coat. I began to run, but the animal stopped me. It looked at me, and in its eyes, I could understand what it was trying to tell me. I knew what it wanted me to do, and I climbed onto its back. The animal began to run with me riding on it’s back. It ran faster than I ever could have._

_“The last thing I heard before completely clearing from the area, was Elyseri’s humiliated cry of anger._

_“The animal ran as fast as it could. I saw a forest in the distance, and pointed to it. The creature seemed to understand, and ran towards it. But what I didn’t know, was that we went straight into the forest of Mirkwood._

_“I didn’t know how long we wandered in the dark forests. The days dragged on. It made me believe that time had ceased to exist. The trees around me had grown so huge and tangled together. It made me feel claustrophobic, and trapped. There was no birdsong._

_“I wouldn’t have survived if it wasn’t for the animal, whom I decided to name Ginger, after the color of her pelt. While I was small and weak, Ginger was strong. She hunted strange black squirrels for the both of us._

_“After what seemed like an eternity, the Elves of Mirkwood found us. I was so relieved, but the relief diminished after I realized one thing. The Elves were afraid of us. Both of us. They aimed their arrows to kill, and I covered my head in fear._

_“I heard someone yell, ‘Stop!’ I looked up, and saw a male elf with blond hair looking down at me. I found my voice and begged for him to help us. This elf, was Nyamen, Nym’s father. He was leading a patrol for the first time that day._

_“He took me in his arms and smiled. He said that he would help us. I hugged him tighter than I had ever hugged anyone else._

_“After that day, I lived in Mirkwood ever since. The Elves learned to live with me and Ginger, and we were accepted as citizens of Mirkwood. I owe my life to both Ginger and Nyamen. I wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for them._

Gia sat in awe. “Ademi... I’m sorry you had to go through so much,”

“It’s okay. I thought my family was gone. I thought I was the last one in the line of Lunardein. But then I found you,”

Gia stood up from the bed, tears on the brim of her eyes, and hugged Ademi. “And I found you. I am happy that destiny brought us together after all these years,”

Ademi broke from the hug, and placed her hands on Gia’s shoulders. “I am too,”


	21. Chapter 20

_It’s been one month since Ademi and Ginger came to Mirkwood. Only a small fraction of the elves were not bothered by them. (And that small fraction being Nyamen, his son Nym and two others). The two stayed in a room that Nyamen had convinced King Thranduil to lend to them. It was small compared to the others, but it was enough._

 _Just recently, Ginger had grown to her full height and strength. Ademi had made a smooth leather saddle for her. The Cathar had just begun to let Ginger fly. They went outside the fortress for flight practice every day. Over the weeks, Ginger’s blue wings have gotten stronger. The Dæmon was now ready to_ truly _fly._

_Ademi rode Ginger on a brown leather saddle. They were a bit far away from Mirkwood, but not too far. They were near the mountains, They soared through a perfect blue sky, the ground seemed miles below them. The wind blew against Ademi’s face, blowing her black hair back. The thrill of flying was nothing she had ever experienced. Flying a ship was one thing, but this was something entirely different, and so much better._

_“How we doing, Ginger?” Ademi asked as she pat the Dæmon’s head._

_Ginger made a noise that sounded like a mix between a purr and a dog’s growl. That meant ‘good’. Ademi nodded._

_“What do you say? You want to take this a little higher?”_

_Ginger barked in response, her blue eyes lighting up in agreement. Ademi smiled. “Let’s go!”_

_Ginger’s mouth curled into a smile as she flapped her powerful wings. She pointed straight upwards as they pierced the clouds. She let her tongue flap out from her mouth as her eyes light up with excitement and joy._

_“Woohoo!” Ademi cheered. Mirkwood seemed to shrink with every passing moment. “Yeah! This is amazing! The wind in my-!”_

_Ademi’s words fell short. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Her hands slipped from the handles of the saddle. She became weightless. She screamed as she found herself free-falling. Ginger let out an alarmed cry as The Cathar plummeted towards the ground._

_“Oh no! Oh no, this is it!” Ademi shrieked as she fell. “This is it!”_

_Her heart pounded as her body tossed and turned in the air, spiraling downwards. Ginger folded her wings, and dived straight towards her. Ademi extended her arms and legs, giving herself as much surface area as she can. She angled back towards Ginger as reached a hand out, trying to grab something, anything. Ginger roared in worry and anxiety when Ademi couldn’t grab onto the saddle handles. After a few more misses, Ademi finally grabbed hold of the handle, and quickly managed to get onto the saddle._

_Ginger came out of her dive and opened up her wings... barely shy of the nearby mountain. The wind pressed against her wings, making her eyes widen in fear and anxiety. Ademi’s body was thrown back as they careened past a wooded cliff and directly into a treacherous slalom course of jutting rocks._

_With no time to think, Ademi pressed her body against Ginger’s back. Together, they managed a tight, hair-rasing series of split second turns. Ginger did one last spin before they exited the course, and making it to the treetops of Mirkwood, unscathed. Ademi took a breath and glanced back at the death-defying obstacle course, now safely behind them. She beamed, relieved. She sat back and threw her arms up in victory._

_“YEEESS!!!” She shouted in joy._

_Ginger made a happy squeal as she began to fly back to the fortress of Mirkwood. The unusual friendship between The Cathar and The Dæmon only got stronger from that point on._

~~~~~~~~

That night, Gia slept on Ademi’s couch.

All of Gia’s dreams that night were filled with images of her family. Her mother, her father, and brother. She wondered how they gotten to Middle Earth. Was it an accident? Or was it on purpose?

Gia’s eyes slowly opened, adjusting to the light streaming in from the windows. She slowly got up, stretching her arms over her head. She looked over to Ademi’s bed, and saw that she, as well as Ginger, were gone. Gia stood up from the couch, and left the room in search of the pair.

“Ademi?” Gia went down the stairs. “Where are you?”

After going down the stairs, Gia turned left to a narrow bridge. “Ademi?” She turned a corner. “Ginger? Ginger! Come here, girl!”

Gia turned another corner to her left, which lead to an open yard. Gia stopped to take in the beauty of the yard. The trees were tall, and a golden haze was emitted from the trunks. The leaves were a beautiful shining green and some that had fallen on the ground from seasons passed looked like jewels littered on the surface. A pool with a swirl of dark blue and turquoise waters glimmered in the sun, with a small waterfall streaming into it, making ripples across the water. There were two tight ropes across the two hills overhead, where birds were perched.

Gia looked up at Ademi, who was perfectly balanced on a thin wooden staff. She was balanced on one foot, she had her eyes closed peacefully, and her breathing was even.

Gia stared in awe. “How are you... _doing_ that?”

Ademi opened her eyes. She emerged slowly from her meditative position and climbed down the thin staff effortlessly. When she reached the ground, she grabbed the staff from the middle, spun it around, and placed it upright next to her, making a small cloud of dust come up from the green grass.

“Perfect balance requires the utmost self discipline,” Ademi explained. “All the techniques I have learned require years of practice and discipline,”

“Techniques?” Gia asked. “What kind of techniques?”

Ademi smiled. “I knew we would have to do this eventually,” She reached her Lightsaber and ignited it. “This was Hantu’s Lightsaber,”

“Didn’t you say you had mum’s too?” Gia asked. Her eyes lit up. “Could I have it?”

“No,”

Gia shrugged. “Yeah, I thought as much,”

Ademi smiled, and walked to a tall tree nearby. Suddenly, she jumped about 15 feet off the ground, and sliced off two thick branches. The branches fell, the ends of them smoking. Before the branches touched the ground, Ademi snatched them, and landed to a crouch on the grass. Ademi then walked to the pool, and dunked the glowing hot ends of the branches in the cool water, making a hissing sound.

“Here,” Ademi tossed a branch to her sister, who caught it with both of her arms with a grunt. “Your training begins now,”

Gia’s eyes widened. “Training?” She dropped her branch and laughed. “No. No, no, no no no. I never said I wanted to be trained,”

“Everyone descended from Lunardein must learn the ways of the saber, and the ways of the Force,”

“The Force? What’s that?”

“Oh right. You don’t... know about that, right,” Ademi cleared her throat. “The Force is an energy field that moves through and surrounds every living thing. Those who are sensitive to the Force, can manipulate the Force, and seek guidance from it. We must learn to use the Force, and practice self-discipline if we are to rule Srinu,”

“Rule Srinu? But we’ll never get back! You said it yourself, there are no ships here. We can never go back!”

“Never say never,” Ademi smirked. “Even if we never get back, you still need to brush up on your fighting skills,”

Gia scoffed. “Please. My fighting skills are no match for yours. I was taught by Lalin Thunderblade of The Iron Hills,”

“If you are so sure, pick up that branch and show me,”

Gia picked up her branch again and charged for her sister. Much to her confusion, Ademi didn’t pick up her branch. She was just standing there. Gia smiled to herself. _“She’s letting me get a free one in! This is gonna be a breeze,”_

Gia swung her makeshift weapon at Ademi, but to her surprise, Ademi grabbed the branch and flung it out of Gia’s hands. Before Gia could comprehend what had happened, she grabbed Gia and tossed her into the air.

Gia screamed in terror as she plummeted towards the ground. She closed her eyes, prepared to feel the hard ground, but instead, she felt the coolness of the water pool enclose her. Gia swam to the surface, and heard Ademi, _laughing._

Gia climbed out of the pool. “What was that for? You could’ve killed me!”

“I would never kill you,” Ademi said through her laughs. “Besides, you were only a few feet from the ground,” She walked over and helped Gia to her feet. “It seems like Lalin Thunderblade of The Iron Hills could use a little fighting lesson himself,”

Gia blushed in embarrassment. “I... wasn’t ready that time. Let’s go again,”

Ademi smirked as she raised her branch.

~~~~~~~~

This sucks. It has been three days. Ademi was training Gia, and she was beating her at everything. She had never been so humiliated.

“This branch is too heavy for me to fight with!” Gia complained. “Can’t I just use a sword?”

“No,” Ademi twirled her makeshift weapon in her hand. “Elyseri doesn’t carry a sword,”

“He doesn’t carry a branch either,” Gia muttered.

Ademi sighed. “Again,”

She groaned and charged again, and swung her weapon at Ademi. As expected, she blocked it.

Gia sighed. “Face it. I’ll never be like you,”

“No you won’t,”

Gia was surprised by her sister’s words. She expected support or assurance of some sort, but no. Gia swung again, and Ademi knocked it out of her hand. The branch clattered on the floor. Ademi swung her branch, but Gia blocked it with her forearm. She raised an eyebrow and swung again. Gia blocked it again.

Another swing. This time, Gia knocked the branch out of Ademi’s hand. She looked up in surprise as Gia grinned smugly. Her grin didn’t last long. Ademi kicked at Gia’s legs, but she jumped over it as a quick as she could.

Ademi smirked, and swiftly took Gia’s hair tie out of her hair, making her orange locks fall to her shoulders. Before Gia could react, she quickly ran up the hill, waving her hair tie mockingly.

“Hey!” Gia shouted. “Lalin gave me that!”

“If you want it,” Ademi took a fighting stance. “Come and get it,”

Gia ran up the hill and faced her sister. She tried to grab the hair tie, but Ademi kicked at her legs. She jumped over, and suddenly did a roundhouse kick. She kicked the hair tie out of Ademi’s hand, and sent it flying. It landed on a small branch on a tree on the other hill across from them. Gia was shocked. She didn’t know she could do that.

Ademi pushed Gia onto the tightropes suspended between the two hills. Gia wobbled, but she eventually found balance. Ademi stepped into the ropes effortlessly.

“Let’s test your balance,” she stuck her hand out to her left, and her staff flew to her hand, shocking Gia.

She swung the lightweight staff at Gia multiple times, who blocked it every single time. Ademi suddenly did a flip over Gia, and landed behind her. Gia turned around. Her sister ran to the hair tie on the tree branch.

By instinct, Gia jumped forward several feet, landing on the ropes without wobbling. When Ademi was mid-jump, Gia grabbed her ankle and pulled her down. They both looked up at the tie, which was slipping off the branch quickly.

Ademi kicked Gia away and stood up with a fighting stance. Both of them were in stances, Gia was balancing on two ropes, and Ademi on one.

Ademi attacked first with a swing of her staff. Gia blocked it with her forearm. She attacked swiftly multiple times, but Gia blocked it several times, using both her arms and legs.

Suddenly, Gia kicked the staff out of Ademi’s hands. To Ademi’s shock, Gia launched herself over her, landing on the hill behind them. Just as she landed, her hair tie fell from the branch. As it fluttered down, Gia caught it quickly with the tips of two fingers before it got out of her reach.

Ademi smiled with pride. She stood upright. “You learn quickly, Gia. I’m proud,”

Gia beamed as she tied her hair back up. She walked out on the ropes without wobbling to meet her sister. Ademi beamed, and bowed. Gia was confused at first, but realized that this was a sign of respect. She smiled, and mimicked Ademi’s movement, and bowed.

Despite how difficult it was, and how many bruised and sores she got, Gia would always be grateful for what Ademi taught her.


	22. Chapter 21

The sisters both rested after the training on the ropes. Gia sat next to the pool, her feet underneath the small waterfall that poured into the pool. Her mind was at peace.

She turned her attention to Ademi, who had just walked in. She was carrying a torch, which was alight. Gia sat up.

Ademi said no words as she planted the end of the torch in the ground. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. She put her palms together, and breathed deeply one more time. She then separated her palms, and made a wide circling motion with her hands, moving gracefully from one side to the other with her legs, without moving her feet.

She then put her inner-wrists together, and faced her palms towards the flame. The fire began to float up towards her palms. Her hands closed around the fire, straining. She then guided the fire through her arms. Her face twisted into one of extreme strain, as beads of sweat dropped down her forehead.

Suddenly, as if she lost control, the fire flew from Ademi’s arms, and crashed into the side of the Elven Fortress. Ademi gasped.

“Agh! No no no no no no,” She grabbed a nearby wooden bucket, filled it with water, and ran up to the fire. Gia repeated this action. They both thrust water onto the flame, in an attempt to put it out.

“ADEMI CAROK!!”

Ademi groaned. “Shit,”

Nym stormed into the yard. He gestured to the fire remains. “What did we say?” What did we say about this?”

Ademi sighed. “No practicing Jos’vy when you’re on duty,”

Nym pointed at her. “That’s right,” He walked away muttering something along the lines of, “We went over that one million times,”

“Jos’vy?” Gia asked.

“Jos’vy is an ancient practice. To master it, you must find peace in the mind and the soul. You must be at peace with your past, and everything that is yet to come in your future. When you completely master Jos’vy, you can convert ordinary fire, into the purest of water,”

Gia’s jaw slacked.

“This water can heal anything if it touches skin. And when someone drinks it, it can heal anything damaged physically,”

Gia pointed to the blackened part of the wall where the fire burned. “Is that what you were doing?”

“It’s what I was _trying_ to do,” Ademi said. “I haven’t mastered Jos’vy. I haven’t found peace. With anything,”

“Why not?”

Ademi sighed. “Because I cannot forgive Elyseri for what he did to my home. I cannot forgive him for what he did to my family,”

Gia didn’t know what to say, so she just nodded

Ademi ran a hand through her black hair. “There are only 3 people in the history of the galaxy recorded to master Jos’vy,”

“Only 3?”

“Lunardein, a warrior named Emilor Senyaram, and someone only written by the name of C.X,”

“What does C.X. stand for?”

Ademi shrugged. “I don’t know. No one knows. The only thing anyone knows about him, is that he was a General,”

Gia nodded.

Ademi motioned Gia to come forward. “Come. I want to show you something,”

~~~~~~~~

Ademi lead Gia to her room, where Ginger greeted them happily. Gia patter her huge soft head. Gia sat down on the bed as Ginger sat next to her, laying her head on her lap.

Ademi went to her drawer, and pulled something out of it. When Ademi turned around, Gia saw that it was a Lightsaber. The hilt was smooth, and a dark gray color.

“This was mum’s Lightsaber,” Ademi said. “She wanted to give it to you when you were old enough,” She handed it to her sister. “Because of my Lightsaber, the Elves call me, a ‘Light Wielder,’ or ‘Wielder of the White Light.’ I guess that makes you a ‘Light Wielder’ too,”

Gia’s mouth hung open as she gently took the saber from her sister’s hands. She admired the hilt. Her family’s legacy, in her hands. She was about to press the button to activate it, when she suddenly heard a high-pitched note from a horn sounding from outside. The sisters jumped up.

“That is the signal to close the water-gate,” Ademi informed. “Come on, let’s see what happened,”

~~~~~~~~

After a few days of sneaking around the halls of Mirkwood, Bilbo freed the dwarves after stealing the keys to their cells. The dwarves each climbed into an empty barrel before Bilbo dropped them into the river from the cellar's trapdoor. Bilbo fell into the river, yelling. He surfaced and grabbed onto Nori’s barrel.

Thorin and the company, still in their barrels, have been waiting for Bilbo. They and the rest of the dwarves rapidly floated towards the water-gate.

“Well done, Master Baggins,” Thorin praised.

Bilbo, half drowned, waved his hand in thanks and managed to splutter out a word. “Go,”

“Come on, let’s go,” Thorin said.

The dwarves paddled with their hands as the river pulled their barrels along; elves rushed along passages in the Woodland Realm. The dwarves emerged into the sunlight, and Thorin saw a waterfall right in front of them.

“Hold on!”

The dwarves, Bilbo, and the barrels plunged through the rapids, then floated swiftly down the raging river. Legolas, followed by other elves, emerged from a gateway and saw them floating away.

“Holo in-annon!” Legolas commanded.

An elf with him blew on a horn; as the dwarves round a corner in the river, they saw a guardpost built above the river. The heavily armored elves standing guard there heard the horn and pulled a lever, causing a heavy metal sluice gate to block the river. The dwarves came to a stop at the gate, unable to go further.

"No!" Thorin cried in anguish as the gate closed before him.

The barrels piled into each other. The elven guards drew their swords, but one was suddenly shot in the back with a black arrow. Several growling orcs swarmed over the guardpost, killing the elves. Multitudes of orcs ran in from the bushes, with Bolg.

Just then, The Cathar sisters ran out to see what was going on. Gia’s heart stopped when she saw the dwarves stuck in barrels, and a swarm of Orcs.

“Go help your friends!” Ademi shouted. “Go!”

Gia nodded. She took out her new Lightsaber, and ignited it. A brilliant blue blade of light burst forth from the metal hilt. She looked at her blue saber with a determined look on her face, and ran to help the dwarves.

“Slay them all!" Bolg exhorted his subordinates to claim victory.

The orcs began throwing themselves at the dwarves in their barrels. Bilbo managed to kill one with Sting, and Dwalin elbowed another in the face. Kili looked up and saw the lever the elven guard had pulled earlier. He managed to get out of his barrel and ran up the stairs toward the lever. Unarmed, he ducked as an Orc swings at him.

“Kili!”

Kili looked down to see Dwalin, who had managed to grab a sword. He threw it to Kili, who then fights his way to the top of the stairs. As Kili fights an orc, another one leapt up from behind him, raising its spear to stab him. Fili threw a dagger and killed the orc, allowing Kili to fight his own opponent and kill it. Bolg, noticing Kili, pulled his bow and arrows from his back. As Kili reached for the lever, Bolg fired an arrow, which hit Kili in the calf. Kili stopped short, panting.

“Kili!” Fili cried out to his brother.

Kili groaned in pain and strained to pull the lever, but fell over onto his back. Bolg strung another arrow. An orc charged forward to finish off the crippled Kili. The dwarf closed his eyes, prepared for the Orc to kill him. But instead the sting of a Orcs blade, he heard a humming noise, and the groans of an Orc. He opened his eyes, and saw Wouna standing above him, the Orc sliced in half down the middle, the edges were burned black. Kili’s eyes widened when he saw the weapon his friend was holding. She was wielding a blade of blue light.

“Wouna?”

Wouna smiled at him. “Call me Gia,”

Kili nodded as Wouna...or, Gia, ran to fight off more Orcs, slicing through them like a hot knife through butter.

Several orcs rushed at Legolas. Suddenly, other elves appeared from the bushes and shoot the Orcs down. As the elves and Gia fought, Ademi and Ginger appeared, running down a hill. When they stopped at the foot of the hill, Ginger opened her mouth, and let out a deafening roar. Half of the fighting stopped to look to where the roar came from.

Ginger roared again. They both barreled towards the Orcs and began to take them down.

When Bolg saw this, he put two fingers in his mouth and released a loud whistle. A swarm of giant creatures, The Dæmons, silently launched themselves from the surrounding treetops. Bolg grinned maliciously as the 'weapon' he'd been given landed among Legolas's force.

Ginger ran off to fight the beasts, her former kin. Suddenly, a Dæmon with black fur, green eyes, and brown wings landed in front of Ginger. She stopped in her tracks as her blue eyes widened in fear. The black Dæmon snarled angrily at her as he crouched down, ready to attack. Ginger’s heart pounded as she looked into the eyes of her former kin. She snapped out of her shock, and she growled and crouched down as well.

The Dæmons bared their teeth as they charged. The black one attempted to sink his teeth into Ginger’s neck, but she was swifter, and more agile than he. She ducked from his attack, and clamped down on one brown wing. Right at it’s weakest point. The Dæmon howled in pain. Ginger clamped down even harder, and swung the Dæmon into the river. If there was one thing Ginger knew, was that Elyseri taught Dæmons to fly, not to swim. She watched as the current swept her former kin member away.

One palace guard was instantly crushed as a Dæmon descended on top of him. Another Dæmon used its strength to spin an elf around with its legs before biting his neck. Legolas shot a white-haired Dæmon in the eye with one of his arrows but the dog kept coming as if it only had a speck in the eye. He unsheathed Orcrist just in time to parry the creature’s attack. Legolas leapt on top of the winged dog before driving Orcrist through its head.

Gia sliced through many Orcs and Dæmons with her newly found Lightsaber. It felt satisfying to drive her weapon through the creatures. Both of the creatures. But she had to be careful of which Dæmon she was killing, making sure it wasn’t Ginger.

Kili managed to grab the lever and pull it, opening the sluice gate and letting the dwarves in their barrels through. He then fell on his back again in pain. The dwarves in barrels fell down another waterfall and float down the river. Bolg saw them.

“After them!”

Gia looked over at the dwarves, and then back at Ademi. She paused a moment, and nodded at Gia, as if saying, “Go to them”. Gia smiled in appreciation. She lifted her hand in the air, in goodbye and thanks. Ademi did the same as Gia ran to the dwarves.

Kili slid himself off the ledge and into his empty barrel below. As he landed in it, the shaft of the arrow in his leg broke off on the edge of the barrel. Tauriel distractedly looked over at him and was attacked by an orc, but managed to kill the orc. The remaining dwarves and Bilbo plunged over the waterfall and continue floating down the rushing river, as Bolg, his orcs, and The Dæmons followed the river on land.

The dwarves tried to paddle and steer with their hands, but to no avail; the river was running too wildly. Suddenly, a gray-haired Dæmon flew in from above, ready to attack. Dwalin held up his sword into the air, raking the Dæmon’s belly wide open, blood and organs spilling everywhere. The dog fell into the river with a loud splash.

In the river, a Dæmon leapt at Thorin in his barrel, but he killed the Dæmon chasing the dwarves, shooting them. An orc jumped from an overhanging tree branch toward Balin, but Thorin threw his sword and pinned the orc to the tree. As the orc dropped its weapon, Thorin caught it while floating beneath him, and he threw back to Bombur, who threw it to Nori, who threw it to Fili, who killed an orc and a Dæmon with it. An orc leapt onto Dwalin barrel, only for Dwalin to headbutt it off and steal its axe. The dwarves saw a low-hanging tree branch stretched across the river in front of them, with several orcs on it

“Cut the log!” Thorin said.

As he floats under it, Thorin hit it with his sword, then Bofur hit it with his weapon, and Dwalin, right behind him, hit the branch with his axe, breaking it and causing the orcs on it to fall into the river. Bilbo managed to climb atop a floating barrel.

The entire time the dwarves floated in the river, they slaughtered Orcs and Dæmons along with the Elves, until finally, the river had calmed down, and the dwarves paddled along in their barrels with their hands.

“Anything behind us?”

“Not that I can see,” Balin said.

“I think we’ve outrun them,” Bofur panted.

“Not for long; we’ve lost the current,” Thorin said. “Make for the shore! Come on, let’s go!”


	23. Chapter 22

The dwarves and Bilbo paddled to the riverbank; they climb out onto a slab of rock jutting out a bit into the river.

Glad to have solid earth beneath his feet, Bilbo took off his overcoat and laid it on a large stone to dry, shivering with cold…wait.

Dread rose up in his stomach. He patted the pockets of his overcoat. Please, don't have fallen into the river…but then he remembered. He put his hands to his waistcoat, and felt metal in one of them. He let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Oi, Bilbo," Nori asked as he emptied a boot full of water, "Have you seen Wouna?"

Wouna. As much as he hated to admit it, he had forgotten all about her in the chaos. “She's probably still back there!” Bilbo stammered. “We've got to back and find her!”

“We can't," said Thorin, "there's still a pack on our tail, and Durin's Day is upon us. We need to get to Erebor fast,”

“A lake lies between us and that mountain. We have no way to cross it,” said Balin.

“Yes, but what about Wouna?" Bilbo questioned, "We can't just abandon her to the orcs and those... those... _things!”_

“Wouna went on this quest of her own free will," Thorin declared. “She knew full well of the risks,”

But then, they heard a whistle from the top of the cliff on the other side of the river. They looked up, and any anxiety Bilbo had disappeared. He and the dwarves cheered at the sight of Gia waving at them from the top of the cliff.

Gia jumped down from the cliff, doing some sort of flip towards the dwarves. She landed in front of them.

“I call that one a tornado flip,” she said.

“Wouna, are you okay?” Bilbo asked. “I’m sorry we left you,”

She waved it off. “It’s fine. It was easy to find you. I just had to follow the trail of bodies," That earned a laugh from many of the dwarves.

“What about the orcs and the dogs?" Fili asked, "How did you get past them?"

“Killed ‘em," Gia explained. She looked up for a brief instant, and her eyes widened in fear. Bilbo looked to see what she saw; it was a grim-faced man. The black-haired man stood six-foot tall and wore a tattered sheepskin coat similar in color to his brown eyes. He aimed a long arrow made of black metal right at them—or rather, right at Gia.

Dwalin grabbed a branch and began to charge the man, but the man shot his arrow and it embedded itself right in the middle of the branch, between Dwalin’s hands. Kili raised a rock to throw, but the man shot the rock out of his hand too.

“Do it again, and you’re dead,” He warned.

Balin spotted just ahead a small barge docked alongside a wharf. He slowly approached the man with arms raised.

“Excuse me, but, uh, you're from Laketown, if I'm not mistaken?" he began negotiations. "That barge over there, it wouldn't be available for hire, by any chance?”

Thankfully, the man cautiously lowered his bow. "What makes you think I will help you?"

“We are simple merchants from the Blue Mountains," Balin lied, "Seeking to visit distant relations in the Iron Hills."

“We need food, supplies, and weapons," Thorin added. "Can you help us?"

The archer raised an eyebrow as he eyed Gia. “Since when do merchants associate with _beasts?”_

“She is NOT a beast," Kili stated. He and Fili moved forward to defend her, but Gia restrained them, shaking her head.

Balin continued. “Those boots have seen better days,”

The man began loading the dwarves’ empty barrels into his barge.

“As has that coat. No doubt you have some hungry mouths to feed. How many bairns?”

“A boy and two girls," the bargeman revealed.

“And your wife, I'd imagine she's a beauty,”

“Aye," he sadly reflected. "She was,”

“I'm sorry," Balin quickly apologized. "I didn't mean to-”

“Oh, come on, come on, enough with the niceties,” Dwalin muttered a little too loudly.

“What's your hurry?’ the bargeman heard him.

“What's it to you?”

“ _Any_ ways,” Gia interrupted. “Can you help us or not?”

The bargeman studied the barrels. “I don’t know what business you had with the elves, but I don’t think it ended well. No one enters Laketown but by leave of the Master. All his wealth comes from trade with the Woodland Realm. He will see you in irons before risking the wrath of King Thranduil,”

It was time to use one of the tricks of the Force Ademi taught her: Mind Probe. She entered the man’s mind, careful not to harm him in any way. The man’s name was Bard. She saw his thoughts. She now knew exactly the kind of man Bard the Bowman was.

“But you’d risk it,” Gia said back.

“How do you know?”

“I have a feeling that you’re a nice man. And I bet that you’ve never turned anyone who needed help down,”

The bargeman looked up. “You need a smuggler not a bargeman," He resumed bargaining.

“And for that, we’ll pay double,” Gia stuck out her hand. “What’d’ya say?”


	24. Chapter 23

In the woodland realm, Legolas, Tauriel and Ademi have brought their captured Orc, Narzug, to Thranduil’s throneroom. Ademi had her hand on her Lightsaber, not activating it yet. Ginger was growling at the vile Orc, warning him not to try anything. Nym was called by Ademi for backup, just in case the Orc tried anything to escape. As Legolas stood with his knife pressed to the orc’s neck, Thranduil paced around it.

“Such is the nature of evil. Out there in the vast ignorance of the world it festers and spreads, a shadow that grows in the dark. A sleepless malice as black as the oncoming wall of night. So it ever was; so will it always be. In time, all foul things come forth,”

“You were tracking a company of thirteen dwarves," Legolas directly put to Narzug. "Why?”

“Not thirteen; not anymore," Narzug cruelly gloated. "The young one, the black-haired archer, we stuck him with a Morgul shaft,”

The orc speaks this while facing Tauriel. She looked worried.

“The poison's is in his blood," he tormented her with the details. "He'll be choking on it soon,”

Tauriel struggled to maintain herself. "Answer the question, filth,”

“I do not answer to dogs, She-Elf!" Narzug spat.

Ginger bared her teeth and growled in response, threatening the Orc. Narzug laughed.

“Do you think your _pet_ will threaten me?”

Ademi growled herself. “Don’t play games, Orc. I know who you’re working for. I know who made those Dæmons. And you’re going to to tell me where he is right now, or so help me!” She activated her white Lightsaber out of anger, and pointed it towards his neck.

Nym stepped forward to stop Ademi, but decided against it.

Narzug laughed at Ademi’s threat. “The Creator’s coming for ‘ya. He won’t stop ‘till you and your kin are dead!”

Ademi and Ginger were the only ones in this room who knew of The Creator, and what he was capable of.

“You like killing things, orc?" Tauriel mocked Narzug with his own words. "You like death? Then let me give it to you!"

Tauriel lunged forward with her blade. She was forced to halt within an inch within Narzug's face.

“ _Farn!”_ Thranduil sharply commanded.

Both Tauriel and Ademi had their weapons pointed towards the Orc.

_“Tauriel, Ademi, ego!"_ Thranduil promptly dismissed them both. _"Gwao hi,”_

All the pair could do was gather their dignity before departing in silence. Before Ademi exited, she said one more thing to the Orc.

“Just remember who you are, filth,” She hissed. “To The Creator, you, and every other Orc are disposable. He will kill you all when his mission is done,”

After those words, Ademi left with Tauriel, with Ginger following close behind.

“I do not care about one dead dwarf," Thranduil said as the trio walked past him on their way out. "I am interested in this ‘Creator’ though. You have nothing to fear i-”

“You have _everything_ to fear, Elf," Narzug chortled.

Legolas was both angered and troubled by this statement.

“What do you mean?” Nym stepped forward. When the Orc said nothing, he spoke again. “Speak!”

“Them Dæmons were just a _taste_ of what The Creator cooked up," the Orc continued boasting. "Soon, no one will be safe. Not even those behind these walls,”

Nym spoke again. “Who is The Creator?”

The Orc laughed. “I assumed you knew,” he mocked “Who is Carok to keep secrets from you?”

Nym stepped forward in anger and unsheathed his sword. “She does not keep secrets from me!”

The Orc grinned maliciously. “If that beast didn’t keep secrets, then you would know,”

Legolas presses his knives tighter onto Narzug throat. “Secrets?”

“Carok knows more about The Creator than any of us do,”

Thranduil’s face hardened.

“My master serves The One. Do you understand now, Elfling?" Narzug taunted. "Death is upon you. Your extinction is upon you! Lunardein will fall!”

Thranduil suddenly whipped out his sword and beheaded the orc, leaving the orc’s head in Legolas’s hand.

“Why did you do that?" Legolas expressed annoyance before tossing the head aside.

“There could’ve been more he could tell us!” Nym said as he sheathed his sword.

“There was nothing more he could tell me,” Thranduil said cooly. “But there is one who could,”

Both Legolas and Nym knew who he spoke of.

“Find Ademi,” The King commanded. “And bring her to me,”

Thranduil descended down the stairs. “I want the watch doubled at all our borders. All roads, all rivers. Nothing moves but I hear of it. No one enters this kingdom, and no one leaves it,”

Legolas and Nym nodded. Nym was troubled by The King’s first command to bring Ademi to him. What was he going to do to her? Hopefully only a simple interrogation.

He and Legolas approached the elves guarding the entrance to the Woodland Realm.

“Close the gate!” Legolas commanded. “Keep it sealed by order of the King,”

“What about Tauriel and Ademi?” One of the guards asked.

“What about them?” Nym asked.

“They went into the forest with Ginger. They have not returned,”

The guard pointed out toward the forest in the direction Tauriel, Ademi and Ginger went. Nym’s heart stopped, and dread crept in. He knew where they were going. He knew what Ademi was going to do.


	25. Chapter 24

Bard gently guided his barge forward with a long pole. Bilbo and the Dwarves squashed themselves around the barrels as best they could. Gia stood just in front of Bard, holding the starboard side of the hull for balance.

“If you don’t mind be asking miss,” Bard suddenly said. “What are you?”

The dwarves overheard Bard’s question. They heard people ask her that hundreds of times, and had expected the same answer she always gave: “I don’t know,” But they were surprised to hear a different answer.

“I am a Cathar,” Gia said, not looking back at Bard.

The bargeman nodded. “Ah,” He didn’t know what a Cathar was, but he decided not to bother her with any more questions.

Suddenly, large stone formations appeared out of the fog.

“Watch out!”

Bard expertly poled the barge between the rock formations, which turned out to be ancient ruins.

“What are you trying to do, drown us?” Thorin gruffly said

“I was born and bred on these waters, Master Dwarf. If I wanted to drown you, I would not do it here,”

“Oh I have enough of this lippy lakeman,” Dwalin said. “Why don’t we throw him over the side and be done with him?”

“The same reason I don’t do that same to all of you, Dwalin!” Gia expressed her annoyance.

Surprisingly, the dwarves remained mostly silent after Gia’s remark. After a few short minutes, the dwarves slowly rose to their feet, awe and emotion in their faces. Rising above the fog in the distance, illuminated by the light of a setting sun, was the shape of a towering mountain.

“If you value your freedom, you'll do as I say," Bard directed their attention. "There are guards ahead,”

The dwarves turned and saw the rooftops of Laketown in the distance.

Gia pulled her hood over her head. “Hide in the barrels,”

The dwarves and Bilbo then began climbing into the barrels without debate. The bargeman docked at the fishing wharfs located outside Lake-town.

“What's he doing?" Dwalin piped up about Bard.

Bilbo peered through a hole in his barrel. "He's talking to someone."

Bard pointed back at the barrels while talking to the man.

"And he's...pointing right at us!" Bilbo reported with rising alarm.

“It’s okay,” Gia reassured them. “He’s not selling us out,”

“Then why are they shaking hands?” Bilbo asked.

Gia chuckled. “I’m so glad I’m not you right now,”

Suddenly, dead fish were poured into the barrels. The dwarves spluttered in surprise. Bard had bought the fisherman's whole catch to hide the dwarves. Now all that remained, was hiding The Cathar.

Gia, reading his thoughts through the Force, answered him. “You don’t need to worry about hiding me, Bard,”

The bargeman looked at her with a questioning look.

The Cathar grinned from under her hood. “Trust me,”

It was then Gia heard a murmur from the barrel closest to her. Bard responded by giving the barrel a kick.

“Quiet! We're approaching the toll gate,”

The said gate was large portcullis blocking the main channel into the town. Bard came to a full stop alongside the gatekeeper's office.

“Halt!" the gatekeeper called out. "Goods inspection. Papers, please." He then saw who had stopped for inspection. "Oh, it's you, Bard."

“Morning, Percy," Bard greeted his friend.

“Anything to declare?”

“Nothing, but that I am cold and tired, and ready for home,”

“You and me both," Percy agreed.

The gatekeeper took the papers and went into his office to stamp them.

“Here we are," Percy held out the papers. "All in order,”

“Not so fast,”

A man dressed in a black robe and cap snatched Bard's papers out of Percy's hand. He read Bard’s papers, then looked at his load.

“ _Consignment of empty barrels from the Woodland Realm_ '," Alfrid read the papers aloud. He then snidely observed, "Only, they're not empty, are they, Bard?”

Alfrid tossed Bard’s papers to the wind and approached him, with some of Laketown’s soldiers behind him.

“If I recall correctly, you’re licensed as a bargeman, not a fisherman,”

“That is none of your business,” Bard said.

Gia, from the back of the boat, waved her hand. _“This is none of my business,”_ She muttered.

Much to the confusion of Bard and Percy, Alfrid said. “This is none of my business,”

Gia smirked and waved her hand again. _“I apologize for wasting your time,”_

“I apologize for wasting your time,” Alfrid repeated.

Another hand wave. _“He can go about his business,”_

“You can go about your business,” Alfrid said.

One last hand wave. _“Move along,”_

Alfrid waved his hand. “Move along. Move along,”

He promptly left the scene with Braga and his men. Bard and Percy looked at each other open-mouthed. Since when did Alfrid Lickspittle act like this? The gatekeeper took advantage the opportunity before Alfrid changed his mind.

“Raise the gate!" Percy called out.

As the gate raised, Bard noticed something else that was strange about Alfrid’s change of behavior. He didn’t mention anything about the only visible passenger. Bard whipped his head around to The Cathar. She smiled and pressed a finger to her lips. _“Shhh,”_

Bard began to pole his barge through the gate. As they entered Lake-Town, Gia got a full view. It was a town built in the middle of the lake, and it looked quite poor and ramshackle. There are many channels of water throughout the town, through which various boats float. Bard poled his barge down the main channel.

After a while, Bard docked his barge. After looking around, he knocked over one of the barrels, and a dwarf fell out along with a pile of fish. Bard continues knocking over barrels. He reached for Dwalin’s barrel, but Dwalin poked his head up through the fish, making Gia giggle.

“Get your hands off me,” He grumbled.

Gia continued to giggle. “I’m _so_ glad I’m not you right now,”

Dwalin grumbled in response. The remaining dwarves and Bilbo struggled out of their barrels, looking greasy and slimy from the fish. The dock keeper looked on in shock. Bard approached him and slips him a coin.

“You didn’t see them, they were never here. The fish you can have for nothing,”

The Cathar remained hooded as the Company weaved its way through Lake-town's back streets and marketplaces. Suddenly, a teenage boy, Bard's son, suddenly came rushing up to the Company.

“Da!” Bain breathlessly told his father. “Our house, it's being watched,”

“I know how to get past them,” Bard looked at Gia. “Unfortunately, you're too big,”

Gia used the Force to see what Bard had planned. Even if she could do that, there was no way she would do it.

“Gia, stay close to my son. Bain, keep an eye on her for a moment,”Bard whispered.

“Yes Da," Bain answered. Bard said something to Thorin who nodded, but he didn't look happy. Bard led the company elsewhere, only to return without them a few moments later.

“Come on,” Bard urged them both “Act natural. Understand? Here my lady, hold onto my arm,”

Gia cocked her eyebrow.

“It's customary for women here to be escorted by men. Please, it'll only be for a moment,” Bard pleaded.

~~~~~~~~

Bard's home was like many houses in Lake-town. The front door was on the second story, reached by a tall flight of stairs. The door led into the living quarters while the first floor was a basement. The Master had placed a pair of spies in a row boat out the front of Bard's home.

The spies saw Bard, his son, and someone else linking arms with Bard, approaching his front door. They listened and watched intently.

“And here we are,” Bard said as he opened the door. “Its great to have you back, cousin,”

The spies almost looked at each other in shock. Bard had a cousin?

“Thank you, Bard,” The woman said kindly.

Bain nodded. “Of course,”

The woman, Bard and his son entered his home. The moment the door shut, the spies looked at each other in shock. What if this was an imposter? Whoever she was, she had to be reported.

~~~~~~~~

Tauriel and Ademi were in pursuit of the orcs and Dæmons. They rode upon Ginger’s back as she flew over the landscape.

“We should land,” Ademi said. “Ginger’s tired,”

They landed on a rocky promontory at the end of the river and at at the banks of the lake. Far across the lake, Laketown was visible. Ademi took Ginger’s saddle off, and patted her back as she lapped up the water form the river.

On one of the rocks are pieces of a deer that the orcs had previously shot and ripped apart. Hearing something, Tauriel turned her head slightly and reached for something at her side. She whipped around and came to a crouch with an arrow nocked to her bow. Several yards behind her is Legolas and Nym. Legolas had his bow drawn.

Ademi turned around. She expressed her annoyance. “Come on, we really should have thought this through. Ginger can’t carry _four_ people. Now we’ll have to walk!”

“Tauriel, Ademi, you cannot hunt thirty orcs on your own,” Legolas said.

“We’re not alone,” Tauriel said.

Legolas connected the dots. “You knew we’d come,”

Ademi stepped forward. “Well, we knew you’d come,” She turned to Nym. “Except for you, Nym. We didn’t know that you would be tagging along. You’re just kind of there,”

Nym sighed. “I came to see if you were safe,”

Ademi couldn’t help but blush a little. “You came... for _me?”_

Nym smiled and nodded.

“The king is angry, Tauriel,” Legolas sternly told her. “For 600 years, my father has protected you, favored you,” He turned to Ademi. “My father welcomed you and Ginger into his kingdom. You both defied his orders; you betrayed his trust,”

Nym stepped forward. “Please, come back with us. The King may forgive you,”

“But I will not,” Tauriel said. “If I go back, I will not forgive myself. The king has never let orc filth from our lands, yet he would let this orc-pack cross our borders and kill our prisoners,”

“This is not your fight!” Nym said.

Ademi stepped forward. “This isn’t my fight either! I’m not from this world! I don’t have to fight for it. But I do anyways. You know why? Because it’s the right thing to do. And if you are the Elves I hope you are, then you’ll agree with me,”

Legolas and Nym digested her words.

“Tell me, _Mellon_ ,” Tauriel stepped forward. “When did we let evil become stronger than us?”


	26. Chapter 25

Bard closed his front door after following Bain and Gia inside. Hopefully their performance fooled the spies.

“Do you think they believed us?” Bain asked.

Gia nodded. “I think they did,”

“Da!” Tilda, Bard’s nine-year old daughter, rushed up and hugged him. “Where have you been?”

Bard's oldest child, Sigrid, quickly followed.

“Father! There you are. I was worried,”

Bard put down the box he was carrying on the kitchen table.

“Hopefully this will make up for it,” Bard said before telling his son, “Bain, get them in,”

As Bain went down the stairs, Sigrid looked inside the box. There was beef, chicken, and spices. Foods that they couldn’t afford.

“Da, how could you afford these?” Sigrid asked.

“You can thank our guest for that,” Bard nodded towards Gia.

Gia lifted her hood to reveal her face to the children. They stepped back in fear and surprise. Gia smiled and knelt down.

“Hello, children,” She said cheerily.

“W-what are you?” Tilda ask timidly.

“Me? Oh, I’m just a big ‘ol kitty cat!” She explained in such a way a child would understand. She let out a small meowing noise, making Tilda a little less afraid.

“Hey,” Gia whispered. “You want to see a magic trick?”

That peaked Tilda’s interest. “Magic trick?”

Gia nodded. She eyed the child’s doll sitting on the table. She grabbed the doll and held it in her palm. She focused the Force into the doll. After a moment, the doll began to dance. Tilda laughed joyfully.

Gia smiled and handed the doll to Tilda. “Go on. You try,”

“How do you do it?”

“Just focus really, really hard,”

Tilda stared at the doll as hard as she could. Gia laughed softly as the made the doll dance again. The child laughed gleefully.

“Look, Da!” She ran up to her father. “I’m doing it, I’m doing it!”

Bard, who wasn’t watching, seemed to brush it off, “Good, good,”

Tilda didn’t seem to care that her father wasn’t watching. She giggled as she began to dance along with the doll. Sigrid approached Gia.

“How did you do that?”

Gia pressed a finger to her lips. “A magician never reveals his secrets,”

At the bottom of the house, Bain knocked on the wall near the toilet three times. Dwalin's head appeared through the toilet, which was open to the water below.

“If you speak of this to anyone, I’ll rip your arms off,”

Dwalin raises the seat and begins to pull himself out of the toilet. Bain reaches out to help him, but Dwalin slaps his hand away. One by one, Bilbo and the dwarves climbed out of the toilet, much to the amusement of Gia.

“Man, I’m glad I’m not _you!”_

The dwarves headed upstairs.

“Da...why are there dwarves climbing out of our toilet?” Sigrid asked.

“Will they bring us luck?” Tilda asked with her childlike innocence.

~~~~~~~~

The dwarves were wrapped in blankets, and their wet things have been laid in front of the fire to dry. Some of them shivered.

“It may not be the best fit,” Bard passed out the blankets, “but it'll keep you warm,”

Gia sat by the kitchen table, smiling in amusement. “Bard, I will never let them live this down. Ever,”

“Shut it, Wouna,” Dwalin grumbled.

Bard heard the slip of Dwalin’s tongue. Where had he heard the name ‘Wouna’ before?

Gia’s eyes wandered to Thorin. He looked out a window and saw a wooden tower not far away. Atop the tower is a windlass, a giant cross-bow type weapon with four arms. Thorin looked at it in shock.

“A Dwarvish Wind-Lance,” Thorin described it.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Bilbo said.

“He has,” Balin softly said as he joined the trio. “The last time we saw such a weapon, a city was on fire,”

“It was the day the dragon came. The day that Smaug destroyed Dale. Girion, the Lord of the city, rallied his bowman to fire upon the beast. But a dragon’s hide is tough, tougher than the strongest armor. Only a black arrow, fired from a wind-lance, could have pierced the dragon’s hide, and few of those arrows were ever made. His store was running low when Girion made his last stand,”

“Had the aim of Men been true that day, much would have been different,” Thorin said grimly.

“You speak as if you were there,” Bard implied to Thorin.

“All dwarves know the tale,” Thorin fudged the truth.

“Then you would know that Girion hit the dragon,” Bain insisted. “He loosened a scale under the left wing. One more shot and he would have killed the beast,”

Dwalin released a chuckle. “That's a fairy story, lad. Nothing more,”

Thorin approached Bard. “You took our money," He reminded him. "Where are the weapons?”

“Wait here,”

The room broke into several conversations as Bard went to fetch the weapons. Gia began to hum softly to herself.

Bard returned with a long bundle strapped across his shoulder. The bundle's cloth wrapping was saturated from being hidden underwater. Bard placed it on the table before unwrapping it, revealing an assortment of home-made weapons. The dwarves picked them up with a heavy sense of disappointment.

What is this?" Thorin asked.

“Pike-hook,” Bard described the weapon he was holding. “Fashioned from an old harpoon,”

“And this?” Kili asked about his.

“A crowbill, we call it, fashioned from a smithy's hammer,” Bard calmly sold its virtues. “It's heavy in hand, I grant, but in defense of your life, these will serve you better than none,”

“We paid you for weapons,” Gloin dismissed the weapons. “Iron-forged swords and axes!”

“It's a joke!” Bofur agreed.

The dwarves disrespectfully threw the weapons on the table with loud clatters.

“You won't find better outside the city armoury. All iron-forged weapons are held there under lock and key,”

Thorin and Dwalin exchanged a knowing glance.

“Thorin,” Balin began arguing. “Why not take what's been offered and go? I've made do with less; so have you,”

Bard looked up at the mention of the name Thorin, as if the name sounded familiar to him.

“I say we leave now,” Balin firmly suggested.

“You're not going anywhere,” Bard said.

Dwalin chocked with rage. “What did you say!?”

“There's spies watching this house and probably every dock and wharf in the town,” Bard reasoned. “You must wait till nightfall,”

The dwarves grumbled, knowing that Bard was right. Gia’s eyes followed Bard as he quietly stepped outside the front door. Bard wanted know why the names 'Thorin' and ‘Wouna’ sounded familiar.

“I know what you guys are gonna do,” Gia announced to the dwarves.

“You do?” Thorin asked.

The Cathar nodded. “You’re going to break into the armory,”

“Will you help us?” Thorin asked.

Gia sighed. “Fine. I’ll get you a boat, and I’ll take care of the spies, but that’s it,”

Balin smiled in appreciation. “Thank you, lass,”

Gia groaned. “We’re all gonna regret this,” She mumbled.


	27. Chapter 26

The dwarves were silently formulating a plan. Thorin got Gia’s attention, and jutted his head towards Bard’s children.

“Can you keep them occupied?” He whispered.

Gia nodded silently. She joined Sigrid and Tilda who were preparing dinner. The older sister was seasoning a beef with some of the herbs her father had bought.

“I can’t thank you enough milady,” Sigrid thanked.

“You’re very welcome,” She turned her attention towards Tilda. “Everyone deserves a little treat every now and then, right?”

Tilda nodded as she smiled. “Right,” She agreed. “Can you stay for dinner?” She suddenly asked.

“I am tempted,” Gia said. “We’ll see,”

A smiling Gia then went downstairs as if going to use the toilet. Her real intention was to ensure the Company's departure went unnoticed by the authorities. After checking no one was watching, she crouched down. She reached out using the Force. She focused on all the Master’s spies.

“3....2....1...” She snapped her fingers. “Lights out,”

Suddenly, one soft collective thud was heard throughout Laketown. All of the spies throughout Laketown were knocked out cold. The pair that were on the boat in front of her nodded off. She went back upstairs to the Company, and gave Thorin a subtle nod.

“Go!” Thorin shouted.

This caught Bard’s children completely by surprise. Bilbo and the dwarves grabbed what they could before rushing out the front door.

“Wait!” Bain desperately tried stopping them.

The boy began to chase them, but his path was blocked by Gia.

“You can tell Bard I stopped you,”

“Are you leaving too?” Tilda was horrified.

Gia wanted to say they'd see each other again, but that might be a lie.

“It’s okay, Tilda,” Gia soothed. “I’m sorry,”

She then rushed to join the Company.

~~~~~~~~

Bard sprinted back home prepared to confront The King Under the Mountain, and the daughter of Lalin Thunderblade. After bursting through his front door, the only ones in the house were his own children.

“Da!” Bain said urgently. “I tried to stop them-!”

“How long have they been gone?!”

~~~~~~~~

As night fell, the dwarves headed for the armory as Bilbo and Gia made their way to the docks. They carefully navigated around the town’s corners and back alleys to avoid being spotted. They pressed their backs against a wall as a patrol marched by.

Gia’s ears perked up when she heard a terrible clanging noise coming from the armory. In the distance, the watchmen yelled.

“Ugh. Great,” She mumbled.

~~~~~~~~

The dwarves reached the armory with one problem. Kili was among those who broke inside to steal the weapons. Kili began walking down a flight of stairs carrying a heavy bundle of weapons. But his wounded leg gave away, causing him to tumble down the stairs. The weapons fell with a loud clang. Braga and his men captured the dwarves within moments of hearing the commotion.

Braga chose to bring the intruders straight to the Master. A large crowd followed Braga and his men as they escorted the prisoners through the streets. The mass of people finally stopped before the steps of the Master's house. It began to lightly snow.

Alfrid closed the door and went to get the master. Braga arranged all of the dwarves under guard in the town square before the doors of the mansion. As guards opened the doors of the mansion, the Master stormed out, still putting on his coat.

“What is the meaning of this?” The Master demanded.

“We caught 'em stealing weapons, sire,” Braga explained their presence.

“Ah,” he smugly inferred. “Enemies of the state, then,”

“This is a bunch of mercenaries if ever there was, sire,” Alfrid observed.

“Hold your tongue!” Dwalin shouted. “You do not know to whom you speak. This is no common criminal. This is Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror!”

Dwalin gestured at Thorin, who gave him an appreciative squeeze on the shoulder. Thorin stepped forward. The crowd murmured in amazement.

“We are the Dwarves of Erebor,” the Dwarf King declared, “And we have come to reclaim our homeland,”

He paused a moment to get the attention of all the citizens.

“I remember this town in the great days of old; fleets of boats lay at harbor, filled with silks and fine gems. This was no forsaken town on a lake. This was the center of all trade in the north! I will see those days return; I would relight the great forges of the dwarves, and send wealth and riches flowing once more from the halls of Erebor!”

The crowd nodded and clapped in approval. For many people, it was the first real hope they had in years.

“Death!" Bard shouted, stepping away from the crowd, “That is what you will bring upon us! Dragon fire and ruin. If you awaken those beasts, they will destroy us all!”

Thorin turned towards the crowd. “You can listen to this naysayer,” he continued, “but I promise you this: if we succeed, all will share in the wealth of the mountain. You will have enough gold to rebuild Esgaroth ten times over!”

Again, the crowd cheered and applauded at Thorin's words.

“Why should we take your word, eh?” Alfrid put to Thorin. “We don’t know anything about you. Who here can confirm your words? Who here knows the truth?”

“I do,”

Everyone watched in silence as a hooded figure made their way forward. The dwarves were happy to have their friend back.

The Master pointed at her. “Are you Bard’s ‘cousin’, so to speak?”

“No I am not,” The woman replied.

Gia flipped her hood back, shocking the citizens. A flurry of sharp whispers was heard amongst the people when they saw her face. Gia shed her cloak completely. She used the Force to pick up the snowflakes on the ground behind her, and made a mini snowstorm behind her. She activated her blue saber and raised it above her head as a show of power.

_“I am Gia Wouna Carok!”_ Her voice boomed. _“Daughter of Lalin Thunderblade! Sister of Chief Ademi! And Wielder of the Blue Light!”_

The snow continued to swarm around her, giving her saber a brighter appearance.

_“I say that Thorin is King Under the Mountain! So it is written, so it shall be done!”_

The snow around her compressed around her Lightsaber, then exploded into one shockwave of snowflakes before she deactivated her weapon.

A cacophony of frightened and troubled cries erupted in all directions. Master and Alfrid were frozen in fear. Braga and his soldiers were too stunned move. Even the dwarves were frightened. They’d known her for a long time, and they had never seen this display of power before.

Bard stepped forward. “How do we know we can trust you? With that power?”

Gia got close to him. “You can trust me. Just like you can trust Thorin’s word,”

Bard turned towards the crowd again. “Have you forgotten what happened to Dale? Have you forgotten those who died in the firestorm? And for what purpose? The blind ambition of a Mountain King, so driven by greed he could not see beyond his own desire!”

The Master then spoke up from atop the staircase. “Now now, we must not any of us be too quick to lay blame. Let us not forget,” he said, pointing at Bard, “that it was _Girion,_ Lord of Dale, who failed to kill the beast!”

“It's true, sire!” Alfrid concurred, “We all know the story! Arrow after arrow, each one missing its mark…”

Bard looked around as the crowd yelled angrily at him. He then strode forward and spoke to Thorin earnestly.

“You have no right, no right to enter that mountain,”

“I have the only right,”

Thorin then turned back to the Master. “I speak to the Master of the Men of the Lake. Will you see the days of glory return? Will you share in the great wealth of our people?”

The crowd held its breath as The Master thought.

“I say unto you...welcome!” he emphatically answered Thorin. “Welcome and thrice welcome, King under the Mountain!”

The crowd erupted into applause. Thorin regally stepped up a few steps and turned to face the audience. The people hugged each other in excitement and joy. Gia beamed with pride for Thorin and the dwarves. They would finally be able to enter the fabled mountain.


	28. Chapter 27

The Company stayed overnight in the Master's house as guests. They were treated to a sumptuous banquet of the finest food and wine. The Company was offered weapons, armor and supplies. In return, Thorin would keep his promise, and pay Laketown like he said in his speech.

At first light, the quest continued. The Company loaded their supplies onto the boats The Master loaned to them. The people crowded along the sides of the main channel.

“You do know we’re one short. Where’s Bofur?” Bilbo asked.

“If he's not here, we leave him behind," Thorin resolutely decided.

Gia wanted nothing but to protest, but she knew that they were racing against the clock.

“We have to, if we're to find the door before nightfall,” Balin concurred. “We can risk no more delays,”

They marched along the pier and the dwarves began to board the boat. They were fully decked out in armor and regal clothing. Thorin stopped Kili before he can get in the boat.

“Not you. We must travel with speed, you will slow us down,”

Kili smiled, thinking Thorin was joking. “What are you talking about? I’m coming with you.”

“No,”

Fili, already in the boat, turned and looked at Thorin and Kili.

“I’m going to be there when that door is opened,” Kili said. “when we first look upon the halls of our fathers, Thorin,”

“Kili, stay here. Rest. Join us when you’re healed,”

Thorin laid his hand on Kili’s shoulder and smiled at him, but Kili looked shocked and betrayed. Thorin turned to board the boat. Kili turned away. Oin got out of the boat.

“I'll stay with the lad,” Oin volunteered out of compassion. “My duty lies with the wounded,”

“Uncle, we grew up on tales of the mountain,” Fili reminded Thorin. “Tales you told us. You can't take that away from him! I will carry him if I must!”

Thorin faces Fili with a soft face. “One day you will be king, and you will understand. I cannot risk the fate of this quest for the sake of one dwarf, not even my own kin,”

Fili looked at Kili, then stepped out of the boat. Thorin tried to stop him.

“Fili, don’t be a fool. You belong with the Company,”

“I belong with my brother,”

Fili pulled away from Thorin and went to join Kili and Oin. A heartfelt smile spread across Gia’s face. It made her happy that Fili would rather be with his brother than join the others.

The musicians of Laketown played their instruments as the Master climbed up to a raised platform. He waved, and the people cheer and clapped.

Gia looked onto he mountain. Suddenly, she felt daggers of fear stab into her chest and stomach. What if this didn’t work? Then this world would be at the mercy of two dragons. Her heart rate steadily increased the more she thought about the wrath of two dragons. What kind of destruction they could bring. She snapped back to reality when she heard the last line of The Master’s speech.

“...And bring good fortune to us all!”

Cheers erupted again as the Company's boat pulled away from the canal. The boat made its way across the lake and towards the Lonely Mountain. As the other dwarves rowed, Thorin stood at the bow of the boat, facing ahead.

As Gia paddled, and the mountain grew nearer, it finally sunk in. Two dragons. Two dragons to face. Two dragons to slay. Two dragon’s fire.

Suddenly, the boats docked. They climbed the foothills of the mountain. At one point, Thorin, recognizing the landscape, ran atop an embankment overlooking a valley. As the other dwarves joined him, they looked at the other end of the valley and see the ruins of Dale.

“What is this place?” Bilbo questioned.

“It was once the city of Dale,” Balin explained grimly. “Now it is a ruin. The desolation of Smaug,”

Gia took in her surroundings. “It’s so quiet...”

“The sun will soon reach midday; let's find the hidden door into the mountain before it sets,” Thorn ordered they follow him. “This way!”

As the others began moving, Bilbo remembered something.

“Wait...is this the overlook?” the Hobbit asked. “Gandalf said to meet him here. On no account were we-”

“Do you see him?” Thorin abruptly interrupted. “We have no time to wait upon the wizard. We're on our own,”

The other dwarves followed him. Bilbo looked back at the city, conflicted.

The Company soon reached the skirts of the Lonely Mountain with no sign of the dragons, thank goodness. Thorin stands his sword in the ground and pants. He called the other dwarves, who were all scouring the sides of the Mountain, trying to find the secret entrance.

“Anything?” Thorin called out.

“Nothing!” Dwalin reported.

Thorin looked at the map once more. “If the map is true, the hidden door lies directly above us,”

Bilbo, walking around, saw a massive statue of a dwarf carved into the side of the mountain. Looking closely, he noticed a set of stairs built into the statue.

“Up here!”

“You have keen eyes master Baggins,” Thorin praised

“How in the hell did no one find that!?” Gia questioned rather loudly.

Bilbo and the rest of the dwarves promptly headed for the stairs. The Company made their way up the steep and treacherous steps. Thorin was the first to reach the top. In front of him was a small clearing.

“This must be it,” Thorin whispered to himself. “The hidden door,”

The rest of the Company spilled out onto the clearing. Thorin held the key in triumph.

“Let all those who doubted us rue this day!” Thorin declared.

Gia joined in the cheering that followed. Although panicked by the two dragons, she was ecstatic at the idea of seeing Erebor. Lalin told her countless stories about its glory.

“Right,” Dwalin got to business. “We have our key, which means that somewhere, there is a keyhole,”

He began exploring the walls of the clearing with his fingers, looking for a keyhole. Thorin walked to the edge of the clearing and looked out at the setting sun.

“The last light of Durin’s Day will shine upon the keyhole,”

Thorin looked at the wall and tried to figure out what the light hitting the wall means. As the sun got lower and lower on the horizon and nothing changed on the wall, Thorin began to get frantic.

“Nori,”

Nori, who was known as a thief, ran to the wall and began tapping it in different places with a spoon while holding his ear to a cup held against the wall. Meanwhile, Dwalin strained and pushed against the wall. The sun got lower.

“We’re losing the light!”

Gia stepped forward. “Move! I’ll try,”

The dwarves stepped back. Gia activated her Lightsaber, which the dwarves were still surprised seeing. She aimed the weapon at the wall, ready to slice it open.

“WAIT!” Bilbo desperately called out.

The Light Wielder immediately terminated her attack.

“Aren’t we supposed to wait for the thrush to knock?” Bilbo asked.

“What?” Gia said.

“ _Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks_ ," Bilbo recalled from Rivendell. “That's what Elrond said, isn’t it?”

Just then, the Company heard a sharp crack against the wall. There on the stone was a large thrush. _Crack!_ Knocking a snail on the stone. _Crack! Crack!_

Gia looked up and saw the clouds move aside to reveal the moon. All the Company held their breath as a moonbeam fell. The light illuminated a keyhole in the rock.

“The last light!” Bilbo laughed in delight. “The light of the moon, the last moon of autumn!”

Thorin approached the door, and inserted the key into the keyhole and turned it. Mechanisms were heard turning behind the rock. Thorin pushed the wall, and a previously unseen door opened into the mountain. The door opened into a tunnel going into the mountain. The dwarves looked on it awe as Thorin stood on the threshold.

“Erebor...”

Balin began choking up as memories of happier times came flooding back to him.

“Thorin,” was all Balin could say.

Thorin put a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. 

“I know these walls…these walls, this stone," Thorin observed. “You remember it, Balin? Chambers filled with golden light,”

“I remember,” Balin said.

Gia joined the others as they slowly entered the mountain. Her head was just a couple of inches beneath the ceiling. She couldn’t believe it. She couldn’t believe that she was actually in the mountain. The stories that Lalin had told her about it’s magnificence as a child. The excitement Gia felt when she herd the stories was nothing compared to what she was feeling at this very moment.

Inside, Nori pointed at a carving in the wall above the door. It is of the throne of Erebor, with the Arkenstone above it, sending out rays of light in all directions. Gia read aloud the inscription on the carving.

“Herein lies the seventh kingdom of Durin’s Folk,” She translated. “May the heart of the mountain unite all dwarves in defense of this home,”

Bilbo looked at the carving in interest and curiosity. Balin explained it to him.

“The throne of the king,”

“Oh. And what’s that above it?”

“The Arkenstone,” Gia answered.

“Arkenstone….And what’s that?”

“That, Master Burglar,” Thorin said. “is why you are here,”


	29. Chapter 28

Balin, Bilbo and Gia walked into a tunnel leading to the interior of the mountain. Bilbo was originally supposed to look for the stone on his own, but Gia insisted on going with him. Just in case.

“You want me to find a jewel?” Bilbo double-checked.

“A large white jewel, yes,” Balin confirmed.

“And the dragons?” Gia asked. She hoped that Balin would give them some last-minute advice on how to deal with dragons.

Balin sighed. “In truth, I do not know what you will find down there. You needn’t go if you don’t want to, there’s no dishonor in turning back,”

“No, Balin,” Bilbo refused. “I promised I would do this, and I think I must try,”

Balin softly chuckled. “It never ceases to amaze me,”

Bilbo gave him a puzzled look. “What's that?”

“The courage of Hobbits,” Balin answered admiringly.

Bilbo was touched by the remark. He smiled.

“Go now with as much luck as you can muster,”

He nodded as both he and Gia turned around.

“Oh,” Balin got their attention again. “...if there is, in fact, two live dragons down there, don’t waken them,”

Bilbo looked worried. The Dwarf smiled bittersweet before heading back up the tunnel. Bilbo and Gia began to descend down a short flight of stairs. The tunnel led to a flight of stairs just a few feet ahead.

“You ready?” Gia could only dare to whisper.

Bilbo took a deep breath. “Yes,”

“Remember, it’s a glowing white jewel,”

Bilbo nodded at the last-minute advice. As they climbed down a flight of stairs, Gia’s breath caught in her throat as her eyes fell upon the great hall. The floor was covered in gold. There were mountains and hills and mounds of gold, sloping and gathering like dunes of sand in a desert. Coins glittered, jewels that sparkled, the finest armor shone, the list went on.

As Bilbo and Gia stopped staring at the horde of treasure, they continued on. The two winced as the coins beneath their feet released an audible crunch.

“Arkenstone, Arkenstone...a large, white, glowing jewel,” Bilbo whispered. “Very helpful,”

It would take forever before they could find the stone in the mountain of gold and treasures.

“You go that way,” Gia pointed to her left. “And I’ll go that way,” She pointed to her right. “We’ll cover more ground that way,”

Bilbo nodded as he went his own separate direction. Gia stepped as gingerly as she could on the gold coins, trying to make as little noise as possible. She scanned the coins and treasures, but couldn’t find anything. It was most likely that the stone was buried underneath. She reached her hand in and pulled out a gold cup. She placed it back down and began searching again.

After a while, she spotted something white and shimmering. She got excited and yanked it out of the pile. She was disappointed to see that it wasn’t the stone, but a necklace. She tossed it to the ground, and began searching again. After a few moments, she picked up a small wooden chest out of curiosity. She opened it, to find a dozen precious jewels. Diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires.

The Cathar heard the shifting of countless coins from the other side of the mountain. She thought nothing of it, until she heard something that made her heart drop to the ground.

“ _Well, thief, I smell you,”_ a deep, rumbling voice said.

Gia dropped the box, scattering the jewels everywhere. It was Smaug. He found her. Her heart pounded. Her heart calmed down a little bit when she realized that the dragon was not talking to her.

“ _I hear your breath_ ," Smaug continued. " _I feel your air. Where are you?”_

Gia heard what sounded like an avalanche of coins coming her way. She ran to the nearest pillar for protection. The strong wave of gold rushed past her, eventually trickling to a stop. There was a loud crunch as something landed onto the treasure. The Cathar took a shaking breath before peeking from behind the column.

Her heart stopped when she saw a ginormous golden red claw, not a few feet away from her. She slowly tilted her head up, to see the scaled scarlet face of Smaug the Magnificent.

“Come now, don't be shy,” Smaug coaxed. “Step into the light,”

Gia was relieved that Bilbo was nowhere to be found. She had to give him more time to find the stone. She took a deep breath and stepped out.

“Here,”

Smaug snapped his crocodile-like head towards her, his flaming eyes probing her. “Oh, not you,” Smaug dismissed her. “I’m more interested in your little friend. Mmm, there is something about him, something he carries. Something made of gold, but far more... _preciousssss_ ,”

The last word reverberated in Gia’s head over and over and she strained in mental pain. A flaming eye burst into her vision. She held her head, but Smaug payed no attention to her.

“There you are, _thief_ in the shadows,” Smaug said.

Gia turned her head, and saw Bilbo. Where did he come from?

“I…we…did not come to steal from you, O Smaug the Unassessably Wealthy,” Bilbo lied. “But merely to gaze upon your magnificence, to see if you really were as great as the old tales say,” The dragon's eyes narrowed, causing Bilbo to squeak, “I did not believe them!”

Smaug snapped his jaws together, and suddenly drew himself up to his full height, puffing out his chest as he arched his long neck and stood in a wide stance. “And do you believe them now?!”

Gia and Bilbo’s eyes fell in the same spot. A spot under the dragon’s wing. A loose scale. So it was true. The black arrow truly made its mark.

Bilbo turned his attention towards the dragon. “Truly, the tales and songs fall utterly short of your enormity, O Smaug the Stupendous,”

“Do you think flattery will keep you alive?” Smaug crooned mockingly.

“No, no n-no,” Bilbo stuttered.

Smaug flicked his tail and snapped his jaws. “Tell me, _thief_. How long do you think you can lie to me?”

“L-lie?”

The dragon grinned. “About your little dwarf friends? Where are they hiding?”

Gia’s heart dropped. How did he know? Could he smell them?

“I know the smell and taste of dwarf. No one better. Why do they send you in here to do their dirty work while they skulk about outside? Was it to bring their gift straight to me?”

“Gift?” Gia asked.

Smaug turned his massive head towards her. “A rare delicacy. I’ve never tasted _Cathar_ before,”

Gia’s eyes widened in fear and surprise. “How do you know about me?”

Smaug grinned. “Oh, I know everything about you, Princess Gia Carok of Srinu, Daughter of Thunderblade, Slayer of Wargs, Wielder of The Blue Light,”

Bilbo looked at Gia in surprise. What were all these titles? He had never heard of most of them before. What did he mean by ‘Princess’?

“How do you know all that?”

Smaug flicked his tail. “The Creator,” The dragon slithered closer. “He creates creatures worthy of nightmares. He creates bountiful gifts to all who watch for him! He gifted me my mate!”

The Cather’s heart filled with dread. There was in fact, a second dragon in this mountain. What was worse, is what Smaug had called it. “Mate?!” She and Bilbo shouted in unison.

Smaug’s booming laugh echoed throughout the halls of Erebor. He roared and slammed his clawed foot onto the ground, sending huge vibrations throughout the mountain.

“Soon, The Creator will rise!” Smaug boomed. “He will bring about a new age of Middle Earth!”

He roared again, making Gia and Bilbo cover their ears from the volume. The Cathar stepped forward.

“What do you mean ‘A New Age!?’” Gia demanded to know. “What has he offered you?!”

“That, you will never know,” Smaug said as he arched his neck, bringing his head upwards until he was almost lost in the shadows. “So, tell me, Light Wielder. How do you choose to die?!”

The dragon lunged forward, jaws wide open. His throat glowing from the fire that burned deep in him. Gia jumped back, barley missing his jaws. She turned her head around, but Bilbo was nowhere to be seen. Good.

Smaug snapped his jaws towards The Cathar. She used the Force, and propelled herself away from the red dragon. She soared through the air. She hit the golden mounds hard on her side. She quickly got up as the dragon rapidly approached.

~~~~~~~~

Bilbo was invisible to all eyes. He frantically ran up the steps. He hoped to fetch the dwarves, and help Gia face up the dragon. As he ran, he saw Thorin run towards him, sword in his hand. The Hobbit quickly took off the ring, making himself visible again. Thorin stopped when he saw Bilbo in front of him.

“You’re alive!” Thorin panted.

“Not for much longer!” Bilbo replied.

“Did you find the Arkenstone?”

“The dragon! Gia needs our help!”

“The Arkenstone!”

They both stood at the entrance to the tunnel, but Thorin was blocking Bilbo’s way. They paused and looked at each other for several seconds, then Thorin spoke again, more quietly.

“Did you find it?”

They stared at each other for several seconds, panting heavily.

“No,” Bilbo admitted. “We have to get the others and help Gia,”

Bilbo tried to enter the tunnel, but Thorin swung his sword across it, blocking the entrance. He pressed the blade against Bilbo, and he stumbled back, the sword still touching him. Bilbo and Thorin faced each other, with the tip of Thorin’s sword against Bilbo’s chest.

“Thorin. Thorin!”

Just then, Smaug’s mighty roar echoed. A cry from Gia soon followed.

~~~~~~~~

“You will _burn!”_ The dragon bellowed.

Smaug slammed down his talon. Gia flung herself backwards using the Force. Smaug loosened one of the hall's enormous stone pillars with a powerful shove. The Cathar was directly under the pillar as it fell forward. With no time to think, she jumped out of the way, the pillar missing her by a hair.

“I will not part with one coin!” Smaug proclaimed. “Not one piece of it!”


	30. Chapter 29

At Bard’s house, Kili was writhing in pain on a table, screaming. His face was covered in a layer of sweat. Bofur went out earlier to find Kingsfoil. Bard’s children grabbed pots and pans from the kitchen. The pots were filled with hot water. They brought them to the table where Fili, and Oin were tending to Kili.

There was a bumping sound that came from the outside. Sigrid ran outside to the balcony. "Da?" she called out, "Is that you, Da?"

Inside, the group heard thumping sounds coming in from above, as if something—many things—were walking on the roof…

Something landed on the balcony outside, uttering a hideous howl and Sigrid ran inside screaming and slamming the door shut—but it was kept open by an orc blade. Bain, Tilda, and the dwarves jumped up.

Another door opened and and Orc strides inside. Oin threw a stack of plates at its head, but another Orc broke through the roof and fell into the house. The first orc at the door swung at Sigrid, at she fell backward onto the table benches. She slid under the table and pulled the bench sideways next to her as a shield. Fili grappled with an Orc. As another orc fell in through the roof, Tilda threw a plate at it, then Sigrid pulled her under the table as well.

“Get down!”

An orc threatened Bain, and he pushed the bench at it, knocking it over. He then grabbed the end of the bench and threw it upwards, hitting the Orc in the head. More orcs jumped in through the roof. The girls screamed as an Orc flipped over the table they were hiding under.

Another Orc leapt to the balcony in front of the house, but suddenly, Tauriel appeared and stabbed it in the throat with her knife. She pulled out her other knife as well, and begins killing the Orcs in the house. Legolas jumps in through one of the holes in the roof. He too begins killing Orcs. Nym was out on the balcony, shooting at Orcs coming to the house.

In the house, an Orc approached Kili and grabbed him by the wounded leg. As Kili screams in pain, Tauriel threw her knife and it plunges into the Orc’s throat. An Orc cornered Bain, lifting it’s weapon to kill him. Just then, a blade of white light burst from its chest. It made a gurgling noise in its throat as it fell to the ground dead. Bain looked up, and saw the blue eyes of his rescuer. Ademi swung her saber into an Orc approaching behind her from behind without looking back.

_“Barikada,_ Ginger!” The Cathar shouted.

After those words, Ginger jumped in through the broken window, making the children and the dwarves jump back and yell in fear. The Dæmon landed on the wooden floor, her long tail swishing back and forth. She growled as she took an Orc in her teeth and snapped its neck.

For a moment, it seemed that all of the Orcs were dead, and that the fighting was over. But there was a howl from outside, and a yell from Nym. The ones inside heard rapid footsteps approaching the door. Nym burst in through the door and tried to close it shut, but a huge snout blocked the way.

The children’s eyes widened in fear as a giant wolf creature burst in through the wall.

“Dæmons!” Ademi shouted.

Several Dæmons broke into the house. One with dark fur and white wings went to attack Bard’s children. They huddled in a corner, fearing for their life. Ginger jumped out and sank her teeth into its neck. It yelped as it fell to the ground. Ginger jumped in front of the kids in protection. She looked at them with kind eyes, and their fear subsided. The Dæmon pushed them away from the fight using her hind leg.

Tauriel cut a Dæmon’s throat. When it continued to fight, she stabbed it in the gut, only then did it die. Nym shot one in it’s forehead, making it drop dead instantly. The fight continued only for a few moments, until a rough voice from outside commanded, “Gur! Arangim!“

The remaining Dæmons left alive, ran out of the shambles of the house. Ademi panted hard as she deactivated her saber. Nym approached her.

“Are you okay?” He asked, concerned.

Ademi nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine,”

The elves and The Cathar looked silently over their work, while the children stared in awe at the damage from behind the overturned table. "You killed them all…" Bain said in wonder.

“There are others,” Legolas declared, as he headed towards the exit. “Tauriel, Ademi, Nym, come,”

Nym joined Legolas without hesitation. They both waited at the front door for the other two.

“Ademi,” Nym said, “Are you coming?”

Both Tauriel and Ademi glanced a heaving Kili, who had wound up on the floor during the battle.

“Ademi, Tauriel,” Legolas repeated.

Legolas waited for a few moments before exiting. Nym looked at Ademi one last time, waiting for her to come with him. With a sigh, he went to follow Legolas. They jumped over the balcony and onto a bridge, then began running.

Tauriel looks away and begins to head out the door to follow the two other elves. Ademi looked at her in shock. “Tauriel!” The red haired she-elf turned around. “Can’t you help? Don’t you care?”

Kili moaned in pain, and Tauriel turned to look at him. She looked after Legolas and Nym, then at Kili again. Hearing a noise, Tauriel grabbed her knives, then saw Bofur running up with the Kingsfoil. Her eyes opened in shock and she took the leaves from Bofur’s stunned grasp.

“Athelas,” She whispered as she examined it. “Athelas...”

“...What are you doing?...” Bofur asked.

“I’m going to save him...”

Tauriel quickly turned into the house. She then looked at the children. “Quickly,” she instructed them, “Get me some hot water,” She turned to the dwarves, “Get him onto the table,”

Tauriel washed and tore apart the Kingsfoil in the hot water. Fili, Oin, and Bofur picked up a moaning Kili and lay him on the table and tried to hold him down.

Tauriel approached with the bowl of water and examined Kili’s wound. Seeing how black and festered it was, she looked away in worry. As the others looked on, Tauriel closed her eyes and began chanting in Elvish while she kneaded the soaked Kingsfoil in her hand, then pressed it to Kili’s wound.

_“Menno o nin na hon i eliad annen annin, hon leitho o ngurth,”_

Kili screamed and thrashed in pain, and Sigrid and Tilda jumped in to help hold him down. As Ademi jumped in and held his shoulders, she got a good look at his face. His skin was deathly pale, there was big black bags under his eyes, and he was covered in a layer of sweat. He looked like death.

Tauriel continued chanting; Fili looked at her strangely, and Oin listened in amazement through his fairly dented hearing trumpet. Ademi watched as Kili began to calm down. In his hearing, it seems as though Tauriel’s voice has become echoing and all-encompassing. He looked at her, glassy-eyed. Kili was now lying somewhere between wakefulness and sleep. The color had begun to return to his face.

The dwarf looked up at the one holding his shoulders down. He squinted, his vision hazy.

“Gia?”

Ademi’s eyes widened at the name. “Gia? Where is she?”

Kili became confused. “Who are you?”

Ademi let go of his shoulders. “I am Ademi Carok. I’m Gia’s sister,”

The dwarves who were listening to the conversation, let their jaw slack as they heard the last three words.

“Sister?!” Fili nearly shouted.

The Cathar nodded. “Yes, I am,” She turned to Oin, Fili and Bofur. “Where is she?!” She demanded. “Where is my sister?!”

Fili pointed behind him. “In the Mountain with the others!”

Gia’s sister went out to the balcony. She looked out to the direction of the Mountain. A mighty roar was heard. Her stomach dropped. No, no, no, this couldn’t be happening. Gia can’t face two dragons. Not even with the Company’s help, or the Force.


	31. Chapter 30

Gandalf had travelled over the Misty Mountains since leaving the Company. His first stop was the High Fells of Rhaudaur where the Witch-king's tomb lay. Joined by Radagast, the two discovered that the Witch-king's crypt and those of the other Nazgul were empty. Only one had the power to do this. And it wasn't human.

Gandalf strode into Dol Guldur, with his sword in one hand and staff in the other. It seems abandoned; even the rocks looked weathered and broken. Still, there was an air of menace about the place. There were many pieces of sharp metal forged to look like vines of thorns. Gandalf walked into a large open area and began to recite a spell.

_“Cé ná ulco sís nurtaina…I ettuluvas caninye! Cánin i sá tanuvaxe!”_

With these words, Gandalf struck his staff on the ground. From the jewel at the top of the staff, an orb of light emanated and moved like a shockwave away, passing through all the matter around Gandalf. This spell revealed hidden evil. However, it revealed nothing yet. Seeing nothing, Gandalf walked to a new place and began saying the spell again.

Unbeknownst to the wizard, The Creator, and Azog, were watching.

“Well, well... it looks like our wizard has finally come,” Elyseri said.

“He is lifting the spell. He will find us!” Azog said with urgency.

The man smirked. “Of course he will,”

A strange noise that sounded like a mix of a hiss and a growl sounded from the shadows.

“Why do you think I’ve brought this gift for dear old Gandalf?”

It was beginning to get dark, and Gandalf continued to search the ruins. He passed several hanging metal cages full of spikes, each with a skeleton chained inside.

_“Cé ná ulco sís nurtaina…I ettuluvas caninye! Cánin i sá tanuvaxe!”_

He walked out onto an open platform and shouted his spell, then struck his staff against the ground. The concealment-revealing energy bubble expanded around him, and it revealed Elyseri leaping at Gandalf with a black blade. Gandalf only had the time to raise his staff before Elyseri struck him with his blade, sending Gandalf and his weapons flying. Gandalf lied on the ground, and multitudes of now-revealed Orcs, including Azog, stood behind Elyseri, who was laughing.

“It’s thoughtful of you to visit me, Gandalf,” Elyseri smirked. “But I’m afraid you’ve come too late,”

Gandalf found his words. “Who are you?”

“An old friend of one of your companions,” The Creator replied.

Elyseri discarded his black blade, throwing it with a _clank_ on the stone floor. For a brief moment, Gandalf felt relief. But that was until the man reached for his belt, and pulled out a metal tube. Suddenly, a blade of red light emitted from it as he pointed the tip of it at the wizard. He nearly jumped back. “And I want her head,”

A rumble was heard from deep underground. Suddenly, the floor exploded outwards, sending huge rocks flying everywhere. Gandalf stared in fear at what he saw. A huge creature slithered out of the hole in the ground. It had a large tan beak, and the end of it was dark grey. It’s head was crowned with a wreath of large feathers, which expanded into a circle as it hissed. It’s bright yellow eyes seemed to pierce through stone. It’s long, snake-like body, had huge wings atop its back. It’s strong legs had spikes at the elbows, and it’s white claws were as sharp as a spear.

“Do you like it?” Elyseri asked. “I call it a [Rav’je](https://www.deviantart.com/galaxynerd13/art/Rajve-778616086),”

The Rav’je hissed as its crown of feathers frilled out.

“And there’s more where that came from,” The Creator sneered. “We are legion,”

Gandalf backed into the corner of the platform; while holding the Rav’je at bay with his staff. He looked at the lower lowers of Dol Guldur behind him. He was horrified by what he saw.

Elyseri laughed. “I don’t think that Company will be able to withstand this. I will finally have Carok’s head,”

Gandalf shouted and swung his staff. There was a blinding flash of light and a thunderclap. By the time The Creator And the Orcs regained their vision, Gandalf was gone.

“Run while you can, old man,” Elyseri taunted. “You cannot run from me,”

Elyseri looked at the Rav’je, and pointed towards the direction where he sensed that Gandalf had run off to. The Rav’je screeched, spread its wings, and went into pursuit.

Gandalf ran through the ruins as The Rav’je chased him. He ran out of a building onto a bridge and strikes the building with his staff, causing parts of it to crumble and fall down.

The wizard looked behind him, and saw nothing behind him. He felt a sense of relief before turning around again, and continued to run. Suddenly, The Rav’je landed with a thud in front of the wizard, shrieking. Gandalf stopped in his tracks. Before the wizard could react, the winged creature slapped him with its tail like a whip, sending him flying across the area. He landed hard on the stone floor.

Gandalf got up just as Elyseri strode up. The wizard quickly picked up his staff, and pointed it at the man.

“Why have you come here?” Gandalf asked through gritted teeth.

“I wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for her,”

“Who?” Gandalf asked. He tightened his grip on his staff as he thrust it forward as a warning. “Speak!”

“I know her has Gia Carok, but you know her as another name,” Elyseri deactivated his red Lightsaber. “Wouna Thunderblade,”

It was then Gandalf sensed a dread and evil presence in the vicinity. He peered nervously over his shoulder and saw massive cloud of shadow. Gandalf raised his staff and formed a protective spherical shield of light around himself, about 60 meters in diameter. Tendrils of shadow tried to pierce the shield, but couldn’t. As the shadow continued to pound at the shield, Gandalf struggled, and the shield grew smaller. He yelled, and the shield grew larger again.

However, the shadow grew strong enough to disintegrate the bridge in front of Gandalf’s shield. The shield grew smaller and smaller, until it is barely bigger than Gandalf. He opened his eyes in shock, and his shield completely disappeared, and he was pushed back. The shadow rushed at him, but he managed to form his shield again. He fell onto his knees, holding his staff above his head, and the shield continued to grow and shrink. Finally, the shadow pushed so hard that Gandalf’s shield collapsed, and he fell back.

_“There is no light, wizard, that can defeat the darkness,”_

Elyseri pulled Gandalf up by the nape as the Necromancer changed shape into a wreath of flames. The flames turned into the slit pupil of an eye before taking the form of a tall armored being crowned with a spiked helmet. Gandalf's fears about the Necromancer had now been confirmed.

“Sauron...”

~~~~~~~~

Smaug slammed down his claw, which Gia barely avoided. She climbed on top of a toppled pillar. The mighty dragon rose his head, and a glow from his chest traveled up his neck. Roaring, Smaug bellowed out a massive wall of flames toward Gia. She jumped backwards, the fire singe her clothes. She can’t do this for much longer. She was getting tired. She ran behind a pillar to catch her breath, but Smaug swished his tail, and an avalanche of gold swept her way. Gia got caught in the wave, and she tumbled down the hills of gold.

Gia tried to get up, but Smaug slammed his claw down on her. His claws acted like some sort of cage. The dragon’s chest began to glow as he lowered his head towards The Cathar. Gia squeezed her eyes shut, awaiting for the searing pain of dragon fire. But before the fire came, she heard yelling.

“Hey!”

“Over here, worm!”

“Look over here!”

“Here!”

She looked up, and saw the Company run out of a tunnel to face Smaug, their weapons out. Gia felt a temporary sense of relief. Smaug roared and rushed at them, leaving Gia. His chest and neck glow orange.

Just as Smaug bellowed fire at them, the dwarves and Bilbo turned and jumped off the staircase. Gia tried to run behind Smaug to join The Company, but the dragon snapped his head towards her. He swung his tail hard into Gia’s side, sending her flying across the room.

She landed at the foot of a staircase. Seeing her chance, she rapidly climbed them with both her hands and feet. The angered dragon slammed his foot on the staircase, sending a huge crack through the center of the stairs. The crack caught up with Gia, the stairs crumbling behind her. As they gave away underneath her, she jumped forward as far as she could. Her upper body landed on the remaining stable stairs. She tried to pull herself up, but she nearly fell, her claws leaving long scratch marks on the stone’s surface.

Smaug grinned as he approached the dangling Cathar. His chest began to glow as he opened his mouth towards Gia. She attempted to kick her legs up onto the stone, but it just made the stairs crumble some more. The glow traveled from Smaug’s chest to his neck. The dwarves cried out to Gia as she could feel the heat of the upcoming fire.

A roar was heard. It echoed throughout the halls, and reverberated in the Company’s heads. Smaug’s chest stopped glowing as his eyes shifted around. Another roar. Gia’s heart filled with fear. She started to feel sick. She knew what that was.

The roar was heard again, but this time, it was closer. Loud thumps were getting closer and closer. With each thump, Gia’s heart pumped faster. The dwarves began to yell in fear of what was coming.

The thumping stopped. Smaug turned his head and looked up. Following the dragon's gaze, Gia and the rest of the mortals turned and saw what was looming in the shadows on the threshold of the entrance. The dwarves shrieked, and Gia was frozen with fear.

There, with it’s wings outstretched and it’s chest puffed up, was the second dragon of the mountain.


	32. Chapter 31

The dragon was huge. It was almost the same size as Smaug. It’s scales were a silver-blue, that shimmered against the light. It’s eyes were an endless ocean of blue. It had four legs instead of two, like Smaug. Instead of it’s wings being apart of the front legs, they were separate, and lay on the back of the beast. It’s wings had scales, but some feathers grew on the ends of them. On the back of its neck, was a mane of whispy light blue hair, that went from the top of its head, all the way down to the end of its tail.

The Company pointed their weapons at the beast, while Gia just stared, wide-eyed.

“SMAUG!” The second dragon bellowed. The blue dragon was definitely female, from the sound of her voice.

Smaug grinned. “Ah, [Cerajin](https://www.deviantart.com/galaxynerd13/art/Cerajin-790838689), my sweet,” He cooed. “Let us defend our kingdom from these dwarves!”

Cerajin stomped her foot down, making the stone underneath crumble. She let out a mighty roar, making Smaug recoil a bit. His eyes widened as he saw her leap from the stone. She thrust herself in between Smaug and the Company, planting herself over them as she protected them in her shadow.

A growl thudded deep in Smaug’s throat. “Get out of my way, Cerajin,”

Cerajin’s lips curled into a growl. “No,”

“After everything I’ve has done for you – you would still crawl back to them?! You still crawl back to mortals!?” His chest began to glow. “You will be naught but ash and dust!” The blue dragon let out a roar, and lunged for an attack.

The adrenaline coursing throughout Gia gave her body the motivation to hoist herself up from the broken staircase. She sprinted towards the Company, who were in awe and fear of the dragon fight before them.

“Go, go, go!” Gia yelled as she and the dwarves ran down the stairs. They ran across a stone bridge. Gia turned her head to see the dragon fight. Leaping into the air, Cerajin landed on Smaug's shoulders and neck, causing him to stumble and fall over under the unexpected weight.

The Company yelled and ran to the other side to avoid the falling dragon. Smaug’s tail crashed straight through the bridge. Gia was at the back of the pack of dwarves, so she didn’t make it to the other side. The bridge crumbled as she fell with it. The Company, now safe on the other side, yelled Gia’s name as she fell.

By instinct, Gia jumped from a falling stone, and grabbed an iron nail poking out of the wrecked stone. She felt the metal make a tiny cut on the palm of her hand, but she couldn’t care less. Her chest heaved as she caught her breath. Suddenly, Smaug’s crocodile-like head smashed into the stone directly besides Gia. She yelled as she quickly got herself up. She stood up on the wrecked bridge as she saw what was happening. Cerajin was slamming Smaug into the stones over and over again. He eventually lunged forward, and bit the soft side of her leg, where he knew it would hurt.

Cerajin roared and slammed him into the stone again, making the stone crack. Gia jumped before the bridge cracked completely. She yelled as she fell a great height to the stone floor. As she hit the ground, she rolled on the floor to lessen the impact. She stood up and turned her head towards the dragons. Her heart rate quickened when they crashed through the remains of the bridge, sending stone blocks everywhere. She ran away from the flying stones. A huge stone fell right in front of Gia, making her jump back, and go around it, stumbling a bit.

The dragons tumbled forward. Smaug kicked the blue dragon off of him. Cerajin snarled, and lunged. Gia continued to sprint as fast as she could away from the dragon fight. Her eyes widened as she saw the fight move in front of her. With no time to think, she jumped towards the nearest opening, a small hole in Smaug’s lower wing. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as she soared through the air, and went through the wing’s hole.

The Cathar landed on the ground and continued to run. _‘I can’t believe that worked!’_ She thought.

Gia quickly turned a corner and ran down the large hallway. Suddenly, Smaug’s tail slammed into the ground in front of her. She tried to jump over it, but her foot got caught on the scales. She flew forward at an odd angle, making her yell. She landed on an upper floor on her side, grunting. She stood still when she realized that the noises of the dragon’s fight had stopped.

The Cathar looked down, and saw that the dragons were staring at each other with cold, hard stares. Cerajin was panting heavily, while Smaug stood proud. He smirked as the blue dragon stomped her foot and spread her wings as an act of challenging.

Gia looked up, and saw that The Company was watching on an upper level floor, with worried looks on their faces. She turned back to the dragons, ready for what was to come.

Cerajin looked at Gia, and pointed her head up. The Cathar was confused, but she followed her gaze. On the ceiling, were large rock stalactites. Tied to one of them, was a thick rope with powerful explosives tied to it.

Gia looked at the blue dragon, understanding what she wanted her to do, and nodded. Cerajin looked back at Smaug, and smirked. She suddenly burst out a jet of blue flame towards the ceiling, igniting the explosives. Smaug bellowed in anger, and charged forward. He rammed into her side, making the fire stream stop. They both fell into a deep pit.

Gia took this chance, and leapt upwards as far as she could towards the explosives. But Smaug’s tail got caught on her legs. Gia’s heart beat furiously as she was pulled into the deep shaft. The Company gasped and shouted in shock and fear.

“No!” Bilbo shouted.

As Gia fell with the brawling dragons, she was standing on a rock that was falling at her speed as well. She looked up and saw the fuse burning down group of explosives. She had to get up there.

Gia had no time to think. She focused the Force into her limbs. Without thinking about if this would work or not, Gia leapt across the raining debris towards the ceiling of the cavern, narrowly avoiding the dragons. She ran up the shaft wall on all fours. She took a deep breath, and launched herself towards the stalactite.

The Cathar unsheathed her claws, and blindly grabbed for the stalactite. The claws on her left hand managed to find a grip on the rock, scraping and making small sparks. She climbed up towards the explosives, and grabbed onto the rope.

She looked down at Smaug. “This is our revenge,” She took two heaving breaths, before pulling the rope off of the stalactite with a grunt.

Cerajin pressed her back against the shaft wall, pushing Smaug away from her. The red dragon snapped his jaws at her, but he saw her smirk, and became confused. He looked up to see The Cathar falling towards him, explosives in hand. She swung the rope to build momentum, before flinging the explosives at the red dragon with a yell.

KA-BOOM! The powerful dynamite exploded upon contact with the dragon, making a cloud of fire and smoke. Smaug roared in agony from the concentrated heat. The power of the blast sent the red dragon down the shaft in a smoking heap.

Gia landed on the ground gracefully. She panted heavily, her hair wildly out of place. She looked up at The Company, who were staring in awe. She looked back at the shaft, and saw a thick column of black smoke rising out of it. Several of the Company gagged at the smell of burning flesh contained within the smoke.

The Cathar slowly approached the edge of the shaft, and looked down. There was no sign of Smaug. But when the smoke cleared, Gia saw one thing. The blue figure of Cerajin, holding onto the wall with her white claws. The dragon looked up, and the two made eye contact. Gia looked into Cerajin’s mind, and saw her true intentions, and what kind of a dragon she truly was.

Gia smiled softly, and nodded her head in thanks as Cerajin did the same. The Cathar turned towards The Company, who had gathered around her. Balin stepped forward.

“You got them, lass,” he softly praised her.

Gia smiled at the praise.

Bilbo spoke up. “You... you really did it...”

Gia glanced at the smoking shaft opening. “Yeah... I guess I did...”

~~~~~~~~

The Company took a path towards The Gallery Of Kings. It was a great hall with banners hundreds of feet tall lining its walls. The Company halted in the middle of it. The group's attention was where a massive stone structure stood with its back to the wall. The structure had a rough humanoid shape.

“What's that?” Bilbo asked, hoping it wouldn't lead to another unpleasant task.

“That, Master Baggins," Thorin proudly recalled, “was going to be a statue of Durin the Deathless,”

“One of pure gold,” Balin included.

“Is it ever going to be finished?” Gia asked.

“No,” Thorin said as he turned to her. “It will now be one of Gia Wouna Carok. The one who ended the tyranny of Smaug,”

Gia’s heart leapt. She didn’t expect this kind of honor. To be immortalized in the great halls of Erebor. The Company cheered in agreement to Thorin’s statement. Some dwarves patted her on the back or shoulder as a sign of appreciation.

“Gia?” Bilbo asked.

“Yes Bilbo?”

The Hobbit sighed and smiled. “I’m-”

Bilbo was interrupted by a low rumble before the Gallery began to shake. Some thought it was an earthquake.

“Take cover!” Thorin shouted.

The Company scrambled to take cover. But the wall exploded outward, sending a huge shower of heavy debris everywhere. As the cloud of dust settled, Smaug emerged out of the broken wall in a maddened rage. Smaug was covered in scorch marks from head to tail.

“Ahh! Revenge?! Revenge! I will show you REVENGE!”

Just then, Cerajin came in through the hole in the wall that Smaug had created.

“No!” She shouted. This shocked everyone in The Company but Gia. “This isn’t their fault! You cannot go to Laketown!”

Smaug grinned maliciously. “No... this is you, and that _little Princess’s_ fault,” The red dragon ran out of the hall.

“ _Wait!”_ the Hobbit called out. Bilbo ran after the dragon before any of the dwarves could stop him.

The side of the mountain broke as an enraged Smaug smashed his way out. He flapped his wings and lifted off into the sky. He swooped off toward Laketown.

Cerajin, struck with horror, turned to Gia. “We have to stop him!”

Gia nodded. “Alright, go on then!”

The blue dragon shook her head. “ _We_ have to stop him,” To Gia’s surprise, the dragon knelt down. “Get on,”

Her eyes widened in shock. “What?”

“I said get on!”

Without any more questions, Gia hopped onto the dragon’s back. Balin ran up to her.

“What are you doing!?” He was shocked at Gia’s actions.

The Cathar looked at Balin as Cerajin rose up and spread her wings. She couldn’t believe she was doing this, but she would never forgive herself if everyone in Laketown was at the mercy of the red dragon.

“I’m going to kill Smaug,” she declared. “On the back of a dragon,”

And with that deceleration, the dragon spread her wings as she flew south in pursuit Smaug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cerajin=(Ser-ah-jen)


	33. Chapter 32

In Bard’s house, Tilda was hiding under Ginger’s right wing in fear as she heard the roar of Smaug. The Dæmon tried to soothe her, but ultimately, she knew what was coming. They all did.

Ademi stepped out of the open door, and looked into the night sky. A soft _fwoomph_ sound caused the air to shudder. In the dark of the night sky, The Cathar saw a winged shape in the air, with huge, bat-like wings. Her heart began to pound faster. No…

A roar ripped the fabric of the night and shook the air; a harsh, guttural roar somewhere between man and beast, that seethed with rage and the desire for vengeance. A bell began rang throughout the darkened town.

Suddenly, fire exploded into a massive, burning inferno, engulfing all that came within its reach. Grabbing Sigrid, Ademi leapt away from the door and onto the floor, as fire and smoke billowed through the opening, setting the curtains and parts of the ceiling alight with their heat. Fire began to spread quickly to the rest of the house, devouring away the house.

“We have no time. We must leave!” Tauriel shouted.

The dwarves got Kili up off the floor. “Get him up,”

“Come on, brother,” Fili said

“Come on, come on! Let’s go,” Bofur stressed

Kili shook them off. “I’m fine - I can walk,”

“We’re not leaving!” Bain protested. “Not without our father!”

“Bain, don’t be a fool!” Ademi said. “If you stay here, you and your sisters will die. Is that what your father would want?”

They all headed to the nearest exit. Heading down the stairs, they entered not the cold of the night, but instead the searing heat of firelight. Ademi stared in horror at the scene around them. This was hell on earth. Fire consumed the houses around them, and sending smoke high into the air, blackening the sky above them. The screams of the townspeople pierced the night, and she could see men people running in panic and terror.

Tauriel, Ademi, the dwarves, Bard’s family and Ginger got on a longboat at the back of the house. They set off down the canal, poling the boat through the floating chunks of ice. Smaug swooped low overhead, and the townspeople screamed. He soared high above and away from the town, then turned and dives steeply toward the town, building up fire in his chest. As he got over the town, he unleashed his flames, and he breathed his fire in a line all the way across the town. People screamed and fell in the inferno. Tilda buried her face into Ginger’s chest out of fear.

Another roar ripped through the sky. Ademi’s heart beat furiously. That roar... it wasn’t Smaug’s. The Cathar and The Dæmon looked up to the sky. Ademi saw it. She saw the oncoming shadow of the second dragon. The dragon darted overhead. It roared as it circled back. Ademi squinted her eyes, looking at the figure riding on the back of the dragon. She felt her lungs gasp in a breath. She recognized the rider.

Gia.

The others on the longboat were astonished to see someone riding atop a dragon.

“It’s Gia!” Kili shouted.

Ademi looked at Gia riding the dragon, and she knew what she had to do. She had to fight alongside with her sister.

“Ginger!”

Ademi climbed on top of the Dæmon’s back, and they took flight.

“Ademi!” Bain yelled.

“Come back!” Tilda pleaded.

“No!” Tauriel said. “Here is nothing we can do. We have to leave her behind,”

Smaug’s chest glowed as he was about to set another attack onto the town, but Cerajin smashed into him, pushing all of her weight into his shoulders as she perched on top of him. Smaug snarled as he was shoved down, struggling to keep himself airborne. Twisting his long neck, he managed to clamp his teeth around her tail, causing her to hiss. Gia ignited her saber, and swung it towards Smaug, hoping to cut something. The red dragon roared when the saber cut off one of the spikes on his head, causing him to let go of the blue dragon’s tail.

Smaug wrenched Cerajin off of his shoulder. Flinging out her wings when he threw her, Cerajin flapped them furiously until she was hovering in the air. The pair looked at each other for a very small moment. Cerajin hissed at Smaug who roared in outrage. It made Smaug's blood boil at the thought of Cerajin fighting back. Who does she think she is?!

“Cerajin!” Gia shouted. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, yes, I’m fine!” Cerajin brushed it off. “It’s just a scratch,”

Smaug suddenly clamped his jaws on the neck of Cerajin, who scrabbled and kicked and fought in an attempt to get herself free. The young female yowled in pain and panic, and Gia’s attempts to help the dragon failed.

“Cerajin!”

The blue dragon tried to force him away, but failed. Finally, with a heave of his massive shoulders and strength in his neck, Smaug twisted and threw Cerajin away with a snarl.

Cerajin smashed into the shallows of the lake, skidding and tumbling head over tail, until she rolled right out of the lake and onto the bank itself. Gia was evicted from her back as she as well tumbled through the dirt. Cerajin skidded to a halt in the dirt, roaring in pain as a few of her scales ripped off of her side.

Gia skidded to a halt. Her eyes widened in fear as she saw Smaug rapidly approaching. Despite the painful scrapes and bruises, she stood up, and ran towards Cerajin. She could feel the vibrations in the ground as Smaug got closer with each footstep.

Suddenly, Smaug let out a roar. Gia looked up, and saw blur of reddish brown and blue. Wait... it that?...

Ginger dove towards the red dragon at an incredible speed, while Ademi held her Lightsaber high in the air. She threw it at Smaug, hitting him near the eye. He bellowed in pain as Ademi used the Force to summon the saber back to her hand.

Gia scrambled onto Cerajin’s back as the dragon stood up.

“You ready?” Gia asked.

The blue dragon nodded. “Yes. Let’s go,”

Ademi threw her saber again, this time, hitting the red dragon’s leathery wing. Smaug roared in rage as the saber was summoned back to its owner. He spread his wings, and flew towards Ginger and Ademi. His snapped his jaws towards The Dæmon, missing only by a hair.

Cerajin smashed into him, her talons grasped at his wings. She dragged him through the air before she threw him down to the ground in the direction of the Mountain. Smaug collided and rolled in the dirt, kicking up a dust-cloud around him. He stood up and roared with rage.

He rammed into Cerajin’s flying form, forcefully pushing her, snapping at her with his snapping jaws when she refused to move. But still she defied him as she snarled up at him, baring her teeth.

Gia slammed her Lightsaber down onto Smaug’s head as hard as she could, making him roar in pain, and recoil back.

From seemingly out of nowhere, Ginger appeared, leaping onto Smaug's back. Smaug roared in anger and pain as Ademi’s saber tried to rip him open. He thrashed around, trying to get the Dæmon and The Cathar off of him. With one final thrash, he threw the two off of him, sending them flying backwards. Ginger flapped her wings furiously as she got herself airborne.

“You will all _burn_ for this!” Smaug screamed at the dragon, the Dæmon, and their riders.

~~~~~~~~

Bard had just escaped from his unguarded cell. He climbed rapidly up the winding steps of a tower, which held the windlace. In the canals below, Bain, on the boat with his family, the dwarves, and Tauriel, noticed his father at the top of the tower.

“Da!” Bain called out in recognition.

“Da!” The girls shouted.

Bain suddenly looked up and noticed the statue of the Master of Laketown, and below it, the boat in which he’d hidden the Black Arrow his father had asked him to keep safe. Bain’s face turned to a determined look. As their boat passed under a hanging hook, Bain leapt up and grabbed it, swinging clear of the boat. He ignored the cries for him to come back as he dashed towards the black arrow.

“Leave him!” Tauriel sharply vetoed any rescue attempt. “We cannot go back,”

~~~~~~~~

Bain retrieved the black arrow from the boat, and was making his way up that tower. There, he found his father shooting his own arrows at the dragons, but failing.

“Da!” He called out. His father looked over at him sharply, eyes wide with worry as he came over and helped his son to stand beside him by the windlance.

“Bain?!” He exclaimed. “What are you doing here?! You were supposed to leave!”

“I came to help you!”

“No! Nothing can stop it now,”

Bain held up the Black Arrow. “This might,” His father gratefully looked at it, then stroked his son’s face.

“My brave, brave son,” Bard softly praised him. As Bain's lips curled into a smile, his father added, "Now you get of here,”

As Bard mounted the long arrow onto the windlace, Bain remembered something.

“Da!” He said. “Don’t shoot the blue one!”

“What?!”

“You can’t shoot her!” Bain repeated. “Gia is riding her!”

“She’s _riding_ it?!” Bard asked with shock. “It’s a _dragon_ , Bain!"

“But kill the one we _know_ is bad!” Bain said desperately. “The blue dragon might be helping us! Kill Smaug!”

Bard looked from the arrow to the dragons. He looked back at his son who was watching the fight with growing horror. He looked back up to the brawling dragons. He had two targets, but with one should he hit?

~~~~~~~~

Cerajin’s chest heaved. Earlier, Gia was thrown from the blue dragon’s back. The Cathar lay on the ground, in a pile of wooden rubble. Ginger and Ademi tried to attack Smaug again, but the dragon blocked all their attacks, sending them across the plain. They slammed into the muddy ground. Smaug looked at Cerajin with a expression that was nothing short of murderous.

“And to think,” Smaug said with a sneer. “That I took you as my mate,”

The red dragon roared and took flight. He came closer and closer with every wing-beat. He let loose a terrible roar as he drew near.

Suddenly, Gia heard something whistle. She looked up, and saw that it was a black arrow. The arrow sped straight for the hole in Smaug’s chest the blink of an eye.

_Thunk!_

The black arrow pierced right through Smaug's only weakness and into his chest. He released an ear-splitting roar before launching himself into the air in shock and agony. He thrashed about, his wings slicing through the air as he whirled around.

Even though Cerajin hated Smaug, she still felt pity for the dragon as she watched his painful death. He roared, throwing his head back as he stretched his neck to the sky. He fell back down towards the lake, his massive figure crushing onto the buildings below and smashing them under his massive weight.

There were few still left in the town, for it had been evacuated, but there was still a few screams as the wooden town was completely shattered as the dragon crashed through it.

Cerajin looked at the dying Smaug, watching as he gasped and wheezed for breath. The blue dragon sighed and flew towards him.

“What are you doing?!” Gia called after her.

Cerajin reached Smaug, clamping her teeth into the scruff of his neck behind his crown of spikes, and dragged him out of the wrecked town. Smaug was twice her weight, so naturally, it drained her strength greatly. She flew towards a shore of the lake, where no souls dwelled. She allowed her jaws to let Smaug drop, his head falling to rest in the mud of the bank with a dull thud.

Unable to stand a second longer, Cerajin wobbled, and collapsed to her knees beside Smaug. The red dragon looked up at his mate, the light leaving his eyes.

_“Please...”_ His voice only came out as a strained whisper.

Cerajin felt her heart flood with pity and empathy. She nodded as she opened her mouth. She let her jaws duck under Smaug's crest of spikes, biting at the base of his skull. She took a deep breath as she hit down hard, making a sickening sound of the crunch of the dragon’s skull. The last of the light from Smaug’s eyes faded as he fell completely limp.

She dropped Smaug’s limp head from her jaws, making a dull thud as it collided with the muddy ground. Her jaws shivered on a rattling breath, as she felt an overwhelming grief consume her.

She hated Smaug. Why did she feel such grief? She felt guilty. Smaug had killed almost an entire town's worth of people in a single night, had terrorized the people of this land for centuries, desolated countless towns, and she was grieving for him.

Cerajin gathered every last shred of her dignity, and stood up. She looked at Smaug, and said, _“May you rest in peace. May you forget anger, hate and greed, and find happiness, love and empathy,”_ And with that, she spread her feathery wings and took flight to rejoin her new Cathar companions.


	34. Chapter 33

Cerajin landed near Gia and Ademi with a dull thud.

“Smaug is dead,” She declared. “The Desolation Of Smaug has ended,”

Gia walked up to her dragon companion. “And it’s about time, too,”

The blue dragon smiled softly as she sighed. “I hated him. I really did. He kept me captive for a long time. But now that he’s dead, I feel grief,” She lowered her head. “Why do I grief him after all he’s done to me? After all he’s done to the people?”

Gia through for a moment. “Maybe... What you’re feeling isn’t grief. Maybe... you feel pity. Overwhelming pity,”

The dragon was silent for a few moments before she spoke again. “I must return to the mountain,”

“What?” Ademi spoke. “The dwarves are inside the mountain. They’ll try to kill you!”

“I must retrieve something of mine,” And with that, Cerajin spread her feathery wings and took flight, leaving The Cathars and The Dæmon behind. They watched her soar over the lake towards the mountain, until they could see her no more.

~~~~~~~~

Cerajin fast approached the wrecked front gate of Erebor. She shifted her eyes downwards, and saw that the dwarves were just reaching it as well. As she passed over their heads, she roared at them. She didn’t want them to find her possession before she did.

The dragon saw the frightened looks of the dwarves, and heard Thorin give an order to shoot her down. She plunged into the gate ahead of them, her wings tucked against her sides. She raced towards the treasure chamber.

The dwarves entered the mountain, frantically shouting.

“Find the dragon and kill it!” Thorin ordered.

The dwarves took out their weapons and yelled in agreement to their King’s statement. Bilbo looked around nervously. Where was the blue dragon? Suddenly, a dragon’s roar echoed throughout the mountain. Bilbo froze where he stood.

“This way!” Dwalin pointed towards the direction of the treasure chamber. The dwarves ran towards the chamber, their weapons raised as they ran across the dunes of gold and jewels.

Suddenly, the dragon flew towards them, and landed in front of them, making the gold dune crumble. The dwarves yelled in fear as they pointed their iron weapons towards the blue scaled dragon. Before Thorin could get the words out to demand they attack, the dragon let out a very loud hiss as silver smoke curled from her nostrils. The dwarves flinched back away from her. She darted her blue eyes towards Thorin.

“Keep your gold,” She hissed. “I don’t want a single coin! Not one piece of it!”

Before the dwarves could try anything else, Cerajin leapt straight over their heads. The dwarves shouted in fright, ducking as she soared over them and landed behind them. Without even looking back at he dwarves, she ran straight out of the Mountain and into the open air.

As the dragon flew away, Bilbo noticed something. He squinted his eyes. In the blue dragon’s white claws, she held something. He couldn’t make out what it was, but the dragon held something large, shiny and green and white.

~~~~~~~~

The fires from Smaug's final ever attack had burnt out by early morning. On the banks of the lake, were refugees and wreckage from Laketown. People were screaming and crying, and some of the wooden things are on fire. There were dead bodies washing up on the shore. Many of the survivors searched for their loved ones who were still missing.

In the sky, Ginger soared towards the wreckage, with Gia and Ademi on her back. Ademi observed the scene with a grim look upon her face.

“They’ve been through hell,”

“Well, it might as well have been,” Gia said grimly.

Soon, The Dæmon landed softly on the shore of the lake. The Cathars dismounted. As they moved deeper into the camp, more eyes fell on them. They heard the whispers behind their back.

“Strange,”

“I knew that ‘Gia Wouna’ was a Devil!”

“They’re beasts!”

“I saw one of them riding a dragon!”

“They’re conspiring with the lizards!”

“Traitor!”

The whispers grew harsher and louder as more people turned to watch them. Sneers and glares followed them.

“They did this!”

“We should hang them!”

“String them up!”

Gia sighed and shook her head. “So much for gratitude,” She mumbled.

Ginger’s eyes shifted nervously as more people began to eye her. Some of them back away in fear. Some called her vile names. Some even made threats. She has never been in the presence of human beings for many, many years. And so far, they weren’t making a great first impression.

“Gia!”

The Cathar turned around, to see Kili, Fili, Oin and Bofur, standing just a few yards away from her. She happily walked up to them as she embraced them.

“Are you okay?” She asked concernedly.

“Eh, could be better,” Bofur said with a smile. “Where’s everyone else?”

Gia gestured towards the mountain. “In the mountain, waiting for you,”

The dwarves released a noticeable sigh of relief that their kin and Bilbo had survived.

“So...” Fili started. “Anything you want to tell us?”

“What?”

“You know... about the dragon...”

The Cathar swallowed. “Oh... yeah... that,” She rubbed her neck nervously. “It’s kind of hard to explain...”

“You know what?” Kili said. “Tell us when we get to the mountain. It’ll make a great story, I’ll bet,”

The dwarves hated dragons, no doubt about it, but they trusted Gia. They were sure she had a good reason for riding on the back of a dragon.

“Carok...” A man identified from behind.

Bard stepped through the throng of people, who all parted to make way for him. His children followed close behind in his shadow. Bard stopped and stared at the two Cathars.

“You two...”

Ademi and Ginger stepped in front of Gia, warning him not to try anything to harm her in any way.

“I do not know what business you have with that foul beast...” He started. “But you helped end Smaug’s tyranny. So I thank you for that,”

Gia smiled, relieved. She strode past Ademi and Ginger. She and Bard clasped hands, nodding to each other.

“Thank you,” Gia said. “For everything,”

“Can we trust them, Bard?” An older man asked.

“They might be traitors, sire,” Alfrid said. He pointed to Ginger. “The other one has this thing, that might kill us all in our sleep, sire,”

Gia inwardly groaned in annoyance upon seeing the rat-like man again.

Ademi stepped towards Alfrid in anger. “The _‘other one’_ has a name you know,” She hissed threateningly, making Alfrid step back a little. “It’s Ademi. And that, _‘thing’_ has a name too,” Ginger stepped forward, growling. “Her name is Ginger, and she will not, I repeat _not,_ hurt any of you,” Ademi paused before looking at Alfrid. “Well, almost,”

Alfrid’s eyes widened in fear at the last part as he looked at The Dæmon, who had a smug look on her face as she trotted away after Ademi.

“Bard...” Ademi addressed the bowman. “If I may ask, where do you plan to take all these people?”

“There is only one place...”

Alfrid cut in. “The mountain! You are a genius, sire. We can take refuge inside the mountain. It might smell a bit of dragon - The women can clean up. It will be safe and warm and dry, and full of stores, bedding, clothing...the odd bit of gold,”

Bard turned towards Alfrid. “What gold is in that mountain is cursed. We will take only what was promised to us - only what we need to rebuild our lives,” He dumped a bundle of sticks he was packing into Alfrid’s hands before he walked off. “Take only what you need!” He declared to the people. “We have a long march ahead,”

~~~~~~~~

The dwarves, Oin, Bofur, and Fili, grabbed a boat and begin to push it out into the water. Gia looked towards Ademi, who was watching. She walked up to her sister.

“Come with me, Ademi,” Gia pleaded.

“No, Gia,” Ademi said. “I must help these people. And besides, you belong with the dwarves of Erebor,”

Gia smiled sadly. “Will I ever see you again?”

Her sister smiled cheerfully. “Of course we will! After all this is sorted out, we will see each other again,”

The sisters embraced tightly. For a moment, it seemed like all was right with the world. No hate, no war, no fire. Just the two of them.

Ademi softly pulled away from the hug, and put her hand on her shoulders. “Now go, Princess,” She said jokingly. “A kingdom awaits you,”

Gia’s lips curled into a smile as she said her last goodbye. She ran towards the boat, and boarded it, making it sway a little.

“Kili, come on!” Fili called his brother. “We’re leaving,”

Gia looked at Kili, who was talking with Tauriel. She couldn’t make out what they were saying, but she knew that it was important to them. Kili sadly turned toward the boat. He suddenly pauses, then turned around and hurried back to Tauriel. He took her hand and placed a black stone into it, folding her fingers closed over it. She gasped and looked at him as he got close to her face and held her hands to his heart.

“That’s gross,” Fili mumbled.

Gia chuckled. “What is? The fact that your brother is in love with an elf, or just romance in general,”

“Just romance in general,”

“I hear ya,”

Just then, Kili boarded the boat. As they sailed out, Gia used the Force to send a gust of wind to propel them further out. They watched as the people of Laketown shrank into the distance.


	35. Chapter 34

Ademi and Ginger helped the people in any way they could. Sometimes they lifted something for someone, or treated someone’s injuries, or even just some emotional support.

Just as Ademi was finished treating a severed burn on a young girl’s leg, she spotted someone in the distance. Someone familiar. Upon recognizing him, she ran towards him in a dead sprint.

“Nym!”

The elf turned around upon hearing his name. His face lit up as he saw The Cathar. He spread his arms wide as Ademi jumped into them. Nym spun her around as they embraced.

“Nym! I’m so glad to see you!”

The elf gently pulled away from the hug as he looked at her and smiled. “As am I,”

“Where did you go?” Ademi asked.

Nym’s smile soon melted away. “We saw something out there,” he said grimly.

Legolas and Tauriel strode towards the pair. “The orc we pursued out of Laketown - I know who he is. Bolg - a spawn of Azog the Defiler,”

Ademi’s eyes widened in surprise. “Wait, Azog has a _kid?!”_

Nym nodded. “Yes,”

Ademi grimaced as her mind was filled with images she didn’t want to see.

Legolas continued. “A warg pack was waiting for him on the outskirts of Esgaroth. They fled into the north. These orcs were different from the others. They wore a mark I had not seen for a long time. The mark of Gundabad,”

Tauriel turned to Legolas. “Gundabad?!”

Nym nodded as he turned to the red-haired elf. “An orc-stronghold in the far north of the Misty Mountains,”

“You think there might be an army there?” Ademi whispered out of the townsfolk's earshot.

“We cannot be certain," Legolas admitted. "All I do know its news of the death of Smaug will have spread through the lands. Others will now look to the mountain - for its wealth, or its position,”

Just then, Ademi’s ears perked up. She heard the sound of a horse’s hooves pounding into the ground as it ran. An elf from Mirkwood rode up on a horse and addressed Legolas.

“My Lord Legolas, I bring word from your Father,” The elf said, “You are to return to him immediately,”

Legolas nodded in understanding. He turned towards the others. “Come,”

“My Lord,” The elf said. “Tauriel, Nym and Ademi are banished,”

Ademi’s eyes widened. “Banished?!” No, it can’t be. Mirkwood is the only home she has. Ginger nuzzled her head into Ademi’s hand in an attempt to comfort her. She knew that Ademi loves Mirkwood, and that not being able to come back would be devastating for her.

“You may tell my father: If there is no place for Tauriel, there is no place for me,” Legolas said.

“Legolas. It is your King’s command,” Tauriel opposed.

“Yes, he is my King. But he does not command my heart,” Legolas said as turned and walked away from the elven messenger.

“Tauriel, Nym, I ride north. Will you come with me?”

“To where?” Nym asked.

“To Gundabad,”

Nym was conflicted between going with Legolas, and staying with Ademi.

“Nym...” Ademi whispered. She took his hand. “Go with him,”

“I...” Nym stuttered. “I can’t leave you...”

The Cathar laughed softly as she rubbed her thumb over the elf’s hands. “Yes you can. The fate of Middle Earth is much more important than me,”

Nym ran his thumb softly over Ademi’s cheek. He took her hand and brought it to his lips. A blush spread across her face.

“N-nym!” She squeaked.

In all her confusion, she began backing away from him and he followed every step she took and trailed her to a tree.

“Nym... wha...?” Ademi’s question hung on her lips as Nym cupped her face with one hand, and pinning her arm, gently, with the other.

The Cathar’s heart beat furiously. “Nym...”

He slammed his mouth onto hers, cool breath fanning over her face. She went weak at the knees immediately. He pushed her body fully against the tree. He ran his fingers delicately along the sides of her arms, lowly grunting into her throat.

He pulled away, leaving Ademi flustered and gasping. Nym smiled softly.

“Goodbye...” He softly whispered. He took his bow from behind him, and ran off to join Legolas and Tauriel, leaving a very flustered Ademi behind him.

She watched as he rode off on his horse. She breathed heavily as she swallowed and gathered herself. It all happened so suddenly. She took a breath and walked away from the tree.

Ginger walked up from behind her. She gave Ademi a smug look as she smiled.

“W-what are you looking at?”

Ginger made a noise low in her throat that sounded like a laugh. Ademi rolled her eyes.


	36. Chapter 35

Gia, Kili, Fili, Oin And Bofur reached the other side of the lake, and came upon a barren wasteland. No greenery grew, only woods and shrubs. The landscape was gray and riddled with large rocks and boulders that jutted out of the ground. Cold winds whipped and whistled across the land. Gia could see places where the earth was blackened by Smaug’s dragon fire.

The group hiked and climbed their way through the rough and jagged hills of the desolation. As they approached the gates, they stopped in shock and fear as they saw the destruction caused by Smaug as he smashed through the front gate to fly out of the mountain.

“Gia?” Kili said.

“Yes?”

“Riding a dragon... What’s it like?”

Gia stared at the gaping hole that Smaug had made in the mountain, then turned her gaze back to Kili. “...Exhilarating,”

Kili smiled. The group then looked at each other, then ran into the halls of Erebor. Bofur called out, his voice echoing in the silence.

“Hello! Bombur? Bifur? _Anybody?_ ”

They clambered through the halls, looking for their kin. The dwarves stared in awe at the city. As they descended down a staircase, a certain Hobbit ran up toward them from another part of the city.

“Wait!” Bilbo called out. “WAIT!”

“It’s Bilbo!” Oin celebrated. “He’s alive!”

Gia felt a sense of relief when she saw her Hobbit friend.

“Stop!” Bilbo cried. “Stop! Stop!”

Bilbo and the dwarves met each other in a corridor.

“You need to leave!” Bilbo said desperately. “We _all_ need to leave!”

“We only just got here?!” Bofur said in disbelief.

“I have tried talking to him, but he won’t listen!” The Hobbit said breathlessly.

“Bilbo,” Gia spoke. “What do you mean?”

The Hobbit took a breath. “Thorin. He’s been out there for days. He doesn’t sleep. He barely eats. He’s not been himself - not at all. It’s this - It’s this place. I think a sickness lies on it,”

Gia closed her eyes in dread. She knew that something wasn’t right about this place. She felt it.

Fili looked past Bilbo and saw something that causes him to wrinkle his face in consternation. He walked past the group and started heading further down into Erebor, looking at something. Bilbo and the others ran after him, trying to stop him.

As they ran, a golden light began to be visible on the walls. They rounded a corner, and stopped short at the sight of Smaug’s treasure, heaped so high over the floor of the cavern that the ground is barely visible. As they stared, they saw Thorin, dressed in ornate robes and covered in jewelry, stride slowly out of a doorway. Thorin began speaking softly, apparently to himself. He looked strange, almost possessed. Gia looked at him with a sense of dread.

“Gold...” Thorin mumbled to himself. “Gold beyond measure. Beyond sorrow and grief...”

The dwarf king stopped his mumbling, and turned his glassy gaze towards the others.

“Behold,” He said. “The great treasure hoard of Thror,”

He suddenly flung something high into the air to where the dwarves were standing on a stairwell landing, and Fili caught it. It was a giant bloodred jewel.

“Welcome, my sister’s sons, to the kingdom of _Erebor,”_

Thorin’s last word echoed throughout the halls. Gia’s face twisted into one of dread and despair as she whispered: _“Oh Thorin...”_

_~~~~~~~~_

After a long journey, the people of Laketown finally reached the city of Dale. They stared around at the ruins, including many charred and burned bodies.

Tilda, who was riding upon Ginger’s back, tugged on Ademi’s clothes, getting her attention.

“Thank you for letting me ride on your puppy,” The girl said cheerfully.

The Dæmon made a small and annoyed sounding grunt low in her throat. Ademi laughed when she saw Ginger’s disapproval for the name.

“You’re very welcome,” Ademi said cheerfully.

The night soon fell, and the townspeople were sleeping in the ruins on bedrolls. All except for the night watch, which Alfrid now was apart of, thanks to Bard. Ademi and Ginger were patrolling the city, in search of anything that might endanger the people of Laketown.

Ginger sniffed the ground, searching for any forgiven smell. Her ears suddenly perked up. Ademi sensed what Ginger was hearing. The Cathar grabbed whoever was behind her by the collar, and threw him to the ground. The man screamed.

“Ah! No! Please!”

Ademi sighed when she saw who the man was. “Alfrid,”

Alfrid scrambled to his feet. “Get off me!”

The Cathar sighed as she picked up Alfrid’s handkerchief that he dropped, and handed it to him. The man snatched it away.

“Stay away from me, _beast!”_ Alfrid spat.

Ademi swiftly kicked his legs, making him fall flat on his back.

“That’s _her majesty_ to you,” Ademi firmly said, referencing to her throne back on Srinu.

Alfrid ran away from The Cathar, handkerchief in hand. Ademi sighed as she patted Ginger’s head. “Some people...” She muttered as she shook her head.


	37. Chapter 36

Building the barricade around the front gate took about as much time as one would expect, if not longer. They used abandoned mining tools found deep in the mountain, the dwarves hewed and carved the rock to further its strength. As the dwarves built the barricade, Gia outright refused to do so.

“Thorin!” She shouted at the king. “Are you really shutting out the people that you had promised to help?”

“This gold is not theirs to take,” Thorin cooly said without looking at The Cathar.

“This is madness!”

Thorin then turned around, “Madness?!” He took a step forward. “Madness is _riding_ on the back of a cold blooded _dragon!”_

Gia felt anger bubble within her. Suddenly she stomped her foot, shattering the stone floor, sending huge cracks through the floor. A huge boom echoed throughout the halls, making the dwarves stop working and stare at the scene.

All was silent as Thorin stared at Gia intensely. The silence was broken when the king spoke. “You may be a Princess in your world,” He hissed. “But here, you are _nothing,”_ And with that, he turned his back on her.

Those words hit Gia like a ton of bricks. The very sound of the world seemed to disappear, and everything seemed to move in slow motion. The only thing she could hear, was her breath, and heartbeat. She felt her anger slowly consume her as her breaths sped up. The sound and speed of the world came back as she unsheathed her claws. She growled like an animal as she flung her hand towards Thorin. The king turned around in surprise as Gia blindly flung her claws towards him.

“Agh!” Thorin yelled in pain as he took a step back. He put his hand on his right cheek. Gia then saw what had happened. She gave Thorin three thin cuts on his cheek from her claws. She didn’t feel even the slightest bit guilty. She sheathed her claws again as she pointed at the king.

“You may be the king of a mountain,” Gia growled. “But I will soon rule an _entire world!”_ Her words echoed throughout the halls. “Can you say as much!?”

The dwarves stared in growing horror as they watched the scene. Gia snapped her head towards them, making them visibly flinch.

_“What!?”_ Gia growled.

“Gia...” Bilbo stuttered.

_“What is it?!”_

“Your... your eyes...”

“What about them?!”

“They’re...” Kili started. “...they’re yellow,”

“What?” Gia asked a little more softly than before.

The dwarves watched as Gia’s eyes turned from a sickly yellow to her usual blue.

“I should have known,” Thorin spat as he let go of his cheek. “I should have known better than to bring a dragon-loving _beast_ along with us!”

The Cathar quickly exited the room, tears brimming her eyes. She walked quickly down a hallway she didn’t recognize. She felt guilt eat away at her gut. How could she do that? And why were her eyes yellow?

Gia eventually found her way to what looked like a bath house. In the center of the floor, was a decent sized pond, with stone bedding that went around it in a perfect circle. In the pool of water, there was a stone pillar with intricate carvings engraved in it. This was fine, Gia thought. A bath might calm her nerves down a little bit. She dipped her hand in the water. It was surprisingly warm. She stripped herself of her clothes, making a pile on the floor. She dipped herself into the pool and sat in the water, her bottom half submerged.

She stared at the water as she made ripples in it with her pointed finger. Her mind soon went completely blank as she continued to stare at the water. After a few moments, she turned her head towards the open window, which gave her a very vague view of Ravenhill. Her eyes squinted as she looked at it. Suddenly, a clear image exploded in her mind.

_A large starship crashed into the side of Ravenhill, a cloud of smoke and flames rising from it. The crash shook the land. A baby was crying loudly._

Gia gasped as the image soon disappeared from her mind. She slammed her fist down in the water, making some of the water spill over the sides.

“No!” She hit the water again. “No, no, no! I’m done with the visions! I know what had happened! I already know what happened! I heard the story! I know everything that I need to know! So why don’t you just _leave me alone?!”_

She panted as her anger slowly subsided. She unclenched her fists and relaxed her muscles as she slumped onto a corner of the pillar.

“Gia!”

She heard Bilbo call her name from the corridor. She slid over to the stone pillar to hide from him.

“Gia!” Bilbo called again. “Gia, where are you? Gi-”

His words fell short when he came into the bath house, and he saw Gia’s clothes in a pile on the floor.

“Gia?”

“I’m right here, Bilbo,” Gia poked her head from behind the stone pillar.

A blush spread throughout Bilbo’s face as he turned away. “I’m sorry, I-I-I’ll come back later,”

“Bilbo...” Gia rested her back on the stone pillar. “Why did you come looking for me?”

The Hobbit sighed. “I... came to see if you were alright,”

Gia smiled at The Hobbit’s thoughtfulness. “Thank you, Bilbo,”

“Are...” The Hobbit took a step closer. “Are you _really_ alright?”

The Cathar sighed. “I don’t know, Bilbo,” She rubbed her arms as tears brimmed her eyes. “I _really_ don’t know,”

She cried silently into her hands, her tears falling into the pool.


	38. Chapter 37

The army from Dol Guldur was now marching on a rocky plain east of the twisted forest. The Lonely Mountain loomed closer with every step they took. Sauron had ordered to capture Erebor. Elyseri marched alongside a mounted Azog. Instead of a claw, the Pale Orc's arm was now socketed with a long blade.

Bolg, riding his Warg, charged in from Laketown to deliver his message to Azog.

“Woodland Elves!”

Elyseri snapped his yellow gaze to Azog’s spawn.

“They tracked us down to Lake-town,” Bolg breathlessly reported. “The King’s son, a male, a She-elf and another,”

This caught The Creator’s attention. “Another? Who was the other one?”

“One garbed in green,” Bolg described. “She had a Dæmon companion. She had a blade of white light,”

Elyseri knew who it was right away. “ADEMI CAROK!” He shrieked, making the nearby Orcs jump back in surprise at the sudden outburst. “She has finally revealed herself and that _traitor_ of a Dæmon!”

The Creator turned towards Bolg with a crazed look in his eyes. “Ride to Gundabad,” He ordered. “Let the legions come,”

Bolg grunted in assent and rode off. Elyseri then faced the army. “Elves! Men! Dwarves! The Mountain will be their tomb!”

The army roared and cheered at Elyseri’s words in agreement. The Creator grabbed his Lightsaber and ignited it before pointing it up towards the sky.

“Lunardein will end!” He declared. “TO WAR!!” He signaled the army forward.

~~~~~~~~

In the city of Dale, the people of Laketown were restless. There wasn’t enough food, not enough water, people were wounded, and people were starving to death. Ademi had just finished tending to an older woman. Her stomach growled, but she pressed down on her stomach to silence it. These people needed food before she did.

“The children are starving!” A man cried. “We need food!”

“There isn’t enough!”

“We won’t last three days!”

“We need more water!”

“The children, the wounded and the women come first,” Bard declared.

“Bard,” Ademi got his attention. “As much as I hate to say it, these people won’t make it. They have nothing left. We have to do something,”

The bowman sighed. “I know we do,”

Bard and Ademi walked over to where Alfrid had been standing guard. Alfrid was actually napping, and he woke up as Bard spoke.

“Morning, Alfrid. What news from the night watch?”

“All quiet, sire, I must report,” Alfrid said. “Nothing gets past me,”

Yawning, he got up and followed Bard and Ademi outside, only to find that the two has stopped suddenly in the archway.

“Except an army of Mirkwood elves,” Ademi said. “It may seem,”

Outside, the courtyard was packed full of Mirkwood elves dressed in full battle gear, standing in perfectly ordered lines. The people of Laketown began coming out of their buildings and see the elves. Ademi felt a wave of sadness wash over her when she saw her former family.

Bard and Ademi walked down the steps and approached the elves, some lines of which turned and stepped back to made a pathway for them. As they exit out the bank of elves, King Thranduil rode up on his steed, and all the elves turned to face him. The elven king looked sourly at The Cathar.

“Light Wielder,” He said cooly.

Ademi nodded to him. “My king,”

“I am not you king,” Thranduil said. “Not anymore,”

Ademi swallowed hard at those words as she cast her eyes downward. Bard then intervened.

“My lord Thranduil; we did not look to see you here,” The bowman said.

Thranduil turned and looked at a wagon that was pulling up. It was loaded with food and drink for the people. The people of Laketown smiled and cheered, and began unloading the cart with the elves’ help. Bard approached Thranduil gratefully.

“You have saved us! I do not how to thank you,”

Thranduil turned to him with a cold expression. “Your gratitude is misplaced. I did not come on your behalf,”

Bard looked at him, confused as to why he came. Then Thranduil said: “I came to reclaim something of mine,”

“The white gems of Lasgalen,” Ademi breathed. The king and Bard both looked at her. “You’ve come for the gems, haven’t you?”

Thranduil gave The Cathar a sour look before he turned his attention towards his army, ignoring her completely. “Dispatch!”

Every elf in the army turned in prefect sync, and began to make their way out of Dale. Bard ran up to the elven king.

“Wait! Please, wait! You would go to war over a handful of gems?”

“The heirlooms of my people are not lightly forsaken,” He said cooly.

“Please, my king!” Ademi ran up to him and pleaded. “Haven’t we had our full of death? Must there be war?”

“I would have rather done this in peace,” Thranduil snapped his eyes towards The Cathar. “But that chance has been taken away from us. Oakenshield only understands one thing,” He paused. “War,”

“Listen,” Ademi’s tone was stern, surprising Thranduil. “My little sister is in that mountain. My own flesh and blood! And I’ll be _damned_ before I let you into that mountain!”

Thranduil looked at her angrily for a moment; suddenly, he whipped out his sword. Ademi swiftly caught the edge of the blade in between two of her fingers, surprising everyone that was watching.

_“Don’t,”_ She said flatly as she let go of the blade. Thranduil took a sharp breath before sheathing his blade once again.

“My king...” The Cathar spoke again after a moment of silence. “We are _not_ enemies in this,”

“Nor are we allies,” Thranduil hissed.

“But we are,” Bard spoke. “My people also have a claim upon the riches in that mountain. Let me speak with Thorin,”

“I once attempted to do so as well,” Thranduil recalled his earlier statement. “But as I said, Oakenshield refused,”

“Why are these gems so precious?” Bard asked. “Why must you go to war for them?”

“They...” The King swallowed. “They were... my wife’s. I had them made for her, but... she never got to wear them... they are the only thing I have left of her...” His voice softened. “Tell me, would you do anything to see your wife’s memory restored in some way?”

Bard shifted his eyes downwards as he whispered guiltily. “Yes... I would...”

“But there is no need for war!” Ademi reasoned. “Maybe we can negotiate? Talk to them. Maybe they’ll let us have the gems,”

The elven king scoffed. “Of course they won’t. They are dwarves,”

“Please,” The Cathar tried one more time. “We will never know unless we try,”

“You would really negotiate with a dwarf?”

“To avoid war?” Ademi asked. “Without hesitation,”


	39. Chapter 38

Gia was lost. She had felt the Orc army quickly approaching from afar, but she didn’t care right now. She couldn’t feel anything. Before, she was angry. Then she was confused. And now, she feels nothing. She had used all of her emotion. Emotion had to rest for now.

The Cathar sat on a stone bench in the hall, looking down at her feet. The halls were eerily quiet. She couldn’t even hear the dwarves searching for the Arkenstone. Finally, after for what seemed like an eternity, she finally moved.

She raised her head to look at the glassless window in front of her. She looked upon the city of Dale. She felt immense guilt when she thought of the people. They desperately needed their help, but Thorin has turned away from them.

Her eyes wandered from Dale, then to Ravenhill. She stared at it, her mind lost in thought. Suddenly, auditory screams exploded in her mind. _They were horrible, bloodcurdling screams that should only be heard in the worst of nightmares._

Gia cried out as she held her head in pain. She fell from the bench and to the floor on her hands and knees. She crawled away from the window, her hands making _pat_ noises as they made contact with the stone floor. She leaned against the wall as she took heavy breaths. She swallowed as she stood up, her knees wobbling. She walked down the hall, trying to ignore what had just happened. She already knew what had happened. She didn’t need these visions.

Gia then came across a balcony, with a stone fence around the outsides. Her eyes unwillingly fell onto Ravenhill once again. Just then, instead of an image exploding inside her mind, an image softly introduced itself in her head.

~~~~~~~~

_A large starship crashed into the side of Ravenhill, large trails of smoke emitting from the back. The door slip open with a_ hiss. _Two figures stepped out of the ship frantically. They were Cathars. One of them was female. She had pale fur on her body, black hair that reached to her mid-back, and markings on her face similar to that of a cheetah. The other was a male. He had dark gray fur on his body, short jet black hair, and very few markings on his face._

_The male held someone in his arms, who was unconscious. It was Ademi, many years ago. The female held a baby in her arms, which was crying. She tried to soothe her baby._

_“Shhh,” She said softly. “It’s alright. We’re alright. It’s okay little Gia,”_

_~~~~~~~~_

The image dissolved from Gia’s mind. She stood there in shock. That was her mother! The other one must have been her older brother, Hantu! Gia took back what she said before, she _did_ need these visions. As if on cue, another vision filled The Cathar’s mind.

~~~~~~~~

_The Cathar family was now on the outskirts of the Iron Hills. Their camp seemed to have been there for a few months at the very least. Gia’s mother, Queen Emni, held a sleeping baby Gia in her arms. Hantu sat on a log bench around the campfire, watching the sunset. He was waiting Ademi to come back from exploring. She should be back soon._

_Suddenly, a scream ripped the quiet night. It was Ademi. Hantu and Emni jumped up and raced towards the scream. They ran until they reached the edge of the nearby woods. They stopped dead in their tracks when they saw what had happened. There stood Elyseri, with two of his Dæmons by his side, growling and drooling. And in his arms, was Ademi. She was knocked out, and limp in his arms._

_“Ademi!” Hantu shouted as he ignited his white Lightsaber. “Let my sister go!”_

_The Creator sneered. He raised his hand, and signaled. The two Dæmons launched themselves towards the two. A Dæmon jumped onto Hantu, and he stabbed the winged dog through the chest. The other Dæmon charged towards Emni. She ignited her blue Lightsaber as she held her child close to her chest. She stabbed the dog in the brain as it fell dead._

_The two of them looked up, and saw that Elyseri no longer held Ademi. She was on the back of a Raj’ve, disappearing into the woods._

_“No!” Emni shouted._

_“Ma!” Hantu desperately said. “Take Gia, and go! I will go after her!”_

_Emni looked at her son in horror. “Hantu no! I can’t just y-”_

_“Don’t worry about me!” Hantu interrupted, “Just go! GO!!”_

_Emni had tears in her eyes as she watched her son run into the woods after his sister. Hantu raced after the Rav’je carrying his sister._

_“Ademi!”_

_Suddenly, The Creator jumped from the shadows in front of The Cathar, red Lightsaber ignited. Before Hantu could process what had happened, Elyseri swung his saber as fast as lightning towards Hantu. The dark haired Cathar blocked the attack. They clashed for only a short amount of time, before Elyseri swung his saber one last time towards Hantu’s head, and the Prince of Srinu fell._

_~~~~~~~~_

Gia ripped her mind away from the vision, gasping for breath as she held her head. She felt the vision trying to reach her mind again, but she resisted. This memory was too painful to remember.

She then eyed the torch on the wall behind her. It was then that she remembered something that Ademi had told her back at Mirkwood. _“Jos’vy is an ancient practice. You must find peace in the mind and the soul. You must be at peace with your past, and everything that is yet to come in your future,”_

Inner peace... Gia closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. She put her palms together, and breathed deeply one more time. She then separated her palms, and made a wide circling motion with her hands, moving gracefully from one side to the other with her legs, without moving her feet.

She then put her inner-wrists together, and faced her palms towards the flame. The fire began to float up towards her palms.

_“Ordinary fire...”_ Ademi’s voice echoed in Gia’s mind, _“...Into the purest of water...”_

_~~~~~~~~_

_Queen Emni ran towards the Iron Hills, her child close to her chest. Elyseri and his Dæmons were perusing her. She heard their growls, and their snapping jaws. In her arms, baby Gia gazed ahead as a dark Dæmon, pursued them on all fours..._

_~~~~~~~~_

Gia guided the fire through her arms, her face calm and her eyes still shut. The fire slowly became more and more transparent by the second.

~~~~~~~~

_Emni ran as fast as she could through the Iron Hills. Her eyes fell upon a group of woven baskets. She ran up to them and placed her child in the largest one. Gia’s mother begins to leave. When baby Gia begins to cry, she seems to change her mind, taking her daughter’s little hand into her own, comforting her._

_Baby Gia made a "Ma!" sound as her mother kissed her on the forehead and clutches her hands tightly. Her mother gazed lovingly at her child as she giggled... and then with tears in her eyes, she moved away, rushing back up the hill._

_As her daughter watched, crying, Emni reached the top of the hill, waving to get someone’s attention, and ran out of sight. Several Dæmons and Elyseri took off after her, not noticing baby Gia as she was left alone in the night in a woven basket..._

_~~~~~~~~_

Gia deposited the fire-turned water into a nearby pot on the balcony. She took heavy breaths as she fell to her knees. Hearing about what had happened was one thing. But this... _watching_ how it happened, was something that gutted her entirely.

She fought back tears as she thought about all that she saw. Her expression slowly changed as a new wave of memories flooded over her...

_She remembered her infant self being retrieved from the woven basket by Lalin... her leaving home years later... meeting Thorin and the Company... defeating the Wargs in the valley... training under Ademi... riding atop Cerajin’s back as they defeated Smaug... Ademi hugging her for the first time in Mirkwood._

Gia’s eyes narrowed as she stood up with a newfound determination and inner peace. She had mastered Jos’vy, and had turned fire into pure water. She stared at the blackened land before her where dragon fire had destroyed it. It was right then and there, when Gia knew exactly what she had to do.


	40. Chapter 39

Bard and Ademi closed in on the Gates of Erebor. The bowman was mounted on a white charger that Thranduil had loaned him, and Ademi was mounted on Ginger’s back. Bard was grateful that Thranduil had allowed them try and negotiate. He pulled on the reins just in front of the bridge. Looking up the barricade, Ademi noticed Thorin at the top flanked by Dwalin and Gloin.

“Hail Thorin, son of Thrain!” The Cathar respectfully greeted him.

“We are glad to find you alive beyond hope,” Bard said. “And I thank you for sending Gia Wouna who allowed us to slay him,”

The king remained silent and unmoved.

“Why do come to the gates of the king under the mountain armed for war?” Thorin demanded.

“Why does the King under the Mountain fence himself in?” Bard countered. “Like a robber in his hole,”

“Perhaps it is because I am expecting to be robbed!” Thorin testily retorted.

“My lord, we have not come to rob you,” Ademi offered in assurance, “but to seek fair settlement. Will you not speak with the Dragonslayer?”

Thorin thought for a moment, before he nodded. He stepped away from the platform and down the stairs. Bard dismounted his horse and crossed the bridge in front of the gate. As he approached the blockade, a raven flew out of the opening above the gate and wings away rapidly, cawing loudly. Bard saw a hole built into the blockade, and Thorin strode up to the other end of the hole.

“I am listening,”

“On behalf of the people of Laketown,” Bard began. “I ask that you honor your pledge. A share of the treasure so that they might rebuild their lives,”

“I will not treat with any man while an armed host lies before my door,” Thorin answered.

“That armed host will attack this mountain, if we do not come to terms,” Bard indirectly warned Thranduil wasn't bluffing.

“Your threats do not sway me,”

“What of your conscience? Does it not tell you our cause is just?! My people offered you help. And in return you brought upon them only ruin and death!”

“When did the men of Laketown come to our aid, but for the promise of rich reward?!”

“A bargain was struck!” Bard argued.

Thorin scoffed. “A bargain? What choice did we have but to barter our birthright for blankets and food? To ransom our future in exchange for our freedom? You call that a fair trade? Tell me, Bard the Dragonslayer…”

Bard looked up.

“...Why should I honor such terms?”

“Because you gave us your word,” Bard said. “Does that mean nothing?”

Thorin then gave him a cold look, before disappearing from his sight.

“Begone!” Thorin terminated negotiations. “Ere our arrows fly!”

Bard angrily slammed his fist against the barricade. He went back to his steed.

“I heard what was said,” Ademi spoke. “I’m sorry that I thought that this could work,”

Bard nodded. “It’s alright. You wanted to protect your sister and avoid war. And so do I,”

Bard mounted and he and Ademi swiftly returned to Dale. Thranduil was waiting on the bridge leading into the city mounted on his elk.

“He will give us nothing,” Bard said.

“Pity,” Thranduil said. “Still, you tried,”

“My lord,” Ademi spoke to her former king. “If this is to truly end in war and fire, please spare my sister,”

The elven king paused for a moment. “I cannot promise anything,”

They looked back toward the Mountain in time to see the dwarves dislodge the head of one of the massive stone statues, causing it to fall and break the raised bridge to the gate, thus disabling any attackers from approaching the gates.

Thranduil unsheathed his sword and gazed at it. “We attack at dawn!” He shifted his icy gaze to Ademi as he said: “Are you with us?”

~~~~~~~~

Gia strode into the forge, where the armor of the dwarves was made. She looked at the stone molds, and metal hammers. They haven’t been used in years. But that was about to change right now. Soon, glowing ashes floated into the air. The fires of the forge were lit once again, and Gia began her work.

~~~~~~~~

In Dale, the people were preparing for war, sharpening swords and collecting supplies. Ademi was teaching a young boy the basics of fighting. The boy, who’s name was Bron, had asked her to teach him, and she happily complied.

“...And then you just extend the arm,” Ademi did a stabbing motion with a wooden staff she had found. Bron nodded and repeated this action with his sword. The Cathar smiled in appreciation.

“Good job!” She praised him as he beamed.

Her smile dropped when she heard a laugh.

“You shouldn’t be teaching that young’ing how to fight, woman!” Alfrid sneered. “Why don’t you join the other women and clean this ghastly city up a bit?”

She raised an eyebrow as she eyed Bron. He smiled as he nodded. Ademi turned back to Alfrid as she picked up her staff. She spun it around in her hand before she jumped into the air towards Alfrid before hitting him with the end of the staff. He stumbled back, and before he could recover, Ademi kicked him in the chest, sending him tumbling on the ground. She landed as Alfrid tried to get up, and she knocked him down again with the end of her staff.

Bron and the bystanders laughed hysterically. Alfrid had never been so humiliated.

“Watch what you say, Alfrid,” Ademi said as she stepped away from the rat-like man. “And you just might do something right for once,”

Ademi turned and walked away from the man as he lay on the ground, shocked at what had just happened. Bron ran up to Ademi as he laughed.

“That was amazing!” He said.

Another woman walked up to The Cathar. “I’d thought he would never shut up!” She talked through her laughter.

It was then a worried-looking old man entered the courtyard on foot. The old man wore a grey robe and pointed hat. He walked about with a staff, and armed with a fine sword.

“No, No, No!” Alfrid loudly grumbled before he got himself up from the ground. “Oi! You -pointy hat!” Getting the old man's attention, Alfrid sarcastically confirmed, “Yes, you,” He strode up to the old man while venting, “We don't want no tramps, beggars nor vagabonds around here. We got enough trouble without the likes of you. Off you go!”

“Who's in charge here?!” The old man growled in demand.

Alfrid ceased his tone and glare just as Bard joined them.

“Who’s asking?”

~~~~~~~~

Thranduil, Bard, Gandalf, Ademi and Ginger met inside the King’s tent. The Elves had formed a defensive line before the tent. It was to keep back the large crowd of curious Lake-men.

“You must set aside your petty grievances with the dwarves!” Gandalf chided and warned. “War is coming. You're all in mortal danger!”

“What are you talking about?” Bard asked.

“I can see you know nothing of wizards,” Thranduil seemed to toss aside Gandalf’s warning. “They are like winter thunder on a wild wind rolling in from a distance, breaking hard in alarm. But sometimes a storm is just a storm,”

“Not this time,” Gandalf said. “Armies of orcs are on the move. And creatures! Creatures beyond your imagination march alongside them!”

“Creatures?!” Ademi nearly screeched. “What kind?!”

“I’m not sure,” Gandalf thought. “All I know, is that one of them is called _‘The Raj’ve,’”_

Ademi’s heart immediately dropped to her feet. She felt a sick feeling spread across her stomach. Ginger’s face contorted into one of horror as her once raised tail dropped to the floor.

“There was a man,” Gandalf described his experience. “Garbed in a black robe. He held a blade of red light. He told me what he wanted,”

“What did he want?” Thranduil asked.

“Wouna Thunderblade‘s head,” Gandalf grimly finished.

Ademi’s fears were confirmed.

“I know who it is,” The Cathar stated. “That man, is Elyseri, descendent of Alaser the Traitor. He is better known...” She turned her gaze towards the elven king. “as ‘The Creator,’”

Thranduil’s eyes widened upon recognizing the name. “The Creator?”

Ademi nodded. “There is an ancient feud between my line and his. He has sworn to wipe out the last of the line of Lunardein,”

“Lunardein?” Bard asked about the strange name.

“Me and my sister are the last in his line,” Ademi explained. “The line of Lunardein is a line of Chiefs. Rulers of my world, Srinu, which I am next in line to rule,”

The others in the tent remained silent as they all processed this information.

“My sister,” Ademi said. “I know her as Gia Carok. But you, Gandalf,” The wizard lifted his head. “You know her as Wouna Thunderblade,”

Gandalf’s eyes widened. “You are Wouna’s sister?” He asked, to which Ademi replied with a small nod and a smile. “I should’ve known...”

“Mithrandir,” Thranduil got back onto the topic at hand. “What of the army? Why show his hand now?”

“Because we forced him!” Gandalf stressed. “We forced him when the company of Thorin Oakenshield set out to reclaim their homeland. The dwarves were never meant to reach Erebor; Azog the Defiler was sent to kill them. His master seeks control of the mountain. Not just for the treasure within, but for where it lies, its strategic position,”

“All these armies you speak of, Mithrandir,” Thranduil prefaced the topic. “Where are they?”


	41. Chapter 40

Gia slammed her hammer down onto the heated metal plate. She’s been at this for hours, and she wasn’t stopping now. Her face was covered with soot, and her hair was blackened.

It was then, that Kili, not fully armored, strode into the room, curious as to what was causing all the noise. He was shocked to see Gia with a smith’s hammer. He looked down on the floor, and saw dozens of large metal plates. Some were the same size, and some were different.

_“What is she making?”_ The dwarf wondered. Maybe she was making her own armor. Yes, that was probably it. None of the dwarf armor fit her. But then again, why were there several large metal plates on the floor? He decided that he would keep quiet about this, fearing that Thorin might put a stop to it. This must be important, seeing that Gia had spent hours alone hours working on this.

~~~~~~~~

Back in Thranduil’s tent, Gandalf confronted the elven king.

“Since when has my council counted for so little? What do you think I’m trying to do?!”

“I think you’re trying to save your dwarvish friends,” Thranduil countered. “And I admire your loyalty to them, but it does not dissuade me from my course. You started this, Mithrandir. You will forgive me if I finish it,”

Thranduil then exited the tent. Gandalf approached to Bard.

“You, Bowman! Do you agree with this? Is gold so important to you? Would you buy it with the blood of dwarves?!”

“It will not come to that,” Bard said assuringly. “This is a fight they cannot win,”

“That won’t stop them!” a breathless voice interrupted. “You think the dwarves will surrender - They won’t. They will fight to the death to defend their own,”

A surprised Gandalf felt an equal measure of relief and joy.

“Bilbo Baggins!” he greeted the Hobbit.

~~~~~~~~

Gia shaped small heated metal cylinder to look like a spike. When it was finished, she placed it in a pile of other metal spikes with a small _clank_. It was nearly complete. All this hard work would soon pay off, she just knew it.

~~~~~~~~

Bilbo was presented before King Thranduil.

“If I'm not mistaken,” Thranduil said testily, “this is the halfling who stole the keys to my dungeons from under the nose of my guards,”

“Yes,” Bilbo awkwardly admitted. “Sorry about that,”

Ademi quickly gave it a good-humored smirk. “Oh, I like him,”

Bilbo smiled at the remark. His smile dropped as he saw Ginger step into the tent.

“Oooooh! A Dæmon," he yelped, shuffling back. "Uh, sorry, I just… had hoped not to see Dæmons again for some time,”

Ginger smiled, as if to say, _don’t be afraid,_ which surprised Bilbo greatly.

“Anyway, I came to give you this,” Bilbo placed a pouch onto the table in the centre of their group. Slowly he folded back the layers of cloth, until he slowly revealed a glowing stone.

“The Heart of the Mountain…” Thranduil whispered in wonder. “The King's Jewel…”

“And worth a king's ransom,” Bard spoke the corollary. He frowned at Bilbo. “How is this yours to give?”

“I took it as my fourteenth share of the treasure," Bilbo said.

“Why would you do this?” Ademi asked. “You owe us no loyalty,”

“I'm not doing it for you,” Bilbo shook his head. He then looked up at Thranduil and Bard, his eyes seeming to beg them. “I know that dwarves can be obstinate, and pig-headed, difficult, they're suspicious and secretive – with the worst manners you can possibly imagine. But they are also brave, and kind… and loyal to a fault,”

“As are you, Master Baggins,” Ademi’s warm voice caused him to look up from where he had been staring at his feet.

“I've grown very fond of them, and I would save them if I can,” Bilbo continued, emboldened by The Cathar’s words. “Now, Thorin values this stone above all else. In exchange for its return, I believe he will give you what you are owed. There will be no need for war,”

“Wouldn’t you agree, my king,” Ademi spoke to Thranduil. “That that’s a little nicer than the alternative?”

“Very well,” Thranduil agreed. He then turned to a guard nearby. “Prepare the men, we make the ransom in the morning,”

“Well done, Bilbo!” Gandalf praised as The Hobbit smiled. Bard and Thranduil left. But then the wizard's expression turned very serious. “Rest up tonight. You must leave on tomorrow,”

“Leave?” Bilbo squeaked. “I’m-I’m not leaving. You picked me as the fourteenth man. I’m not about to leave the company now!”

“There is no company,” Gandalf’s eyes turned darker. “Not any more. And I don’t like to think what Thorin will do when he finds out what you’ve done,”

Bilbo crossed his arms defiantly. “I'm not afraid of Thorin,”

“But you should be!” Gandalf said. “Don’t underestimate the evil of gold. Gold over which a serpent has long brooded. Dragon-sickness seeps into the hearts of all who come near this mountain!” He then smiled at Bilbo knowingly. “Well, almost all,”

The wizard's words stuck in Ademi's mind, and once again she found herself wondering whether this gold was worth so much blood.

The Hobbit was still prepared to argue. “But I-”

“Go and rest,” Gandalf assured. “You’ve earned it,”

Bilbo hesitated, before he sighed and walked out of the tent and into the dark of night.

Ademi approached the wizard. “I’ll make sure that he finds a place to rest,” She offered.

Gandalf smiled in appreciation. “Ah, Yes. Thank you, my dear,”

Ademi gave him a cheerful grin before she exited the tent with her Dæmon companion. They quickly caught up with The Hobbit.

“Bilbo,” She grabbed his shoulder lightly, startling him. “You’re going the wrong way,” She pointed over her shoulder. “The good beds are this way,”

Bilbo smiled and said, “Ah,” Before Ademi helped him find a nice bed.


	42. Chapter 41

Legolas, Tauriel and Nym made for Gundabad as fast as they could. Their journey lasted two and a half days until they faced a greater threat. When the three first heard a rumbling sound, it was nighttime. They dismounted their steeds before creeping up a low ridge. Their eyes widened in shock after peering over it.

They saw thousands marching from less than a mile away. Ranks upon ranks of heavily armored orcs carrying iron forged weapons. Bolg lead them from the front mounted on his warg.

“They seem to have left Gundabad some time ago,” Nym observed. “That must mean a force like this would have also left Dol Guldur as well,”

They looked down again, and saw something else. Many Orcs were carrying something on a large and thick wooden plate. The elves could not make out whatever they were carrying, for it was hidden by the growing shadows of the evening. They only had a distinct impression that it was made of silver metal as it glinted. It was large and metal barest shape of a thin cylinder body on hinges. The middle of the cylinder body glowed a bright and luminous light blue.

“What is it?” Nym asked.

“I don’t know,” Legolas said. “But it must be a weapon of some kind,”

The elves felt a growing dread rise within them the closer they saw the army get. But Tauriel's dread turned into confusion when she spotted something unusual.

“Their banners,” She drew the other two’s attention towards it. “Is not the mark of Gundabad,”

The banners they held were white, with a black design on them. On the right of the design, was the silhouette of a dragon, and in the right, was the face of a fierce-looking bird, with black fire surrounding it like a ring. None of the elves recognized the symbol.

“That [banner](https://www.deviantart.com/galaxynerd13/art/The-Clan-of-Alaser-792450730) belongs to only one,” Legolas turned to his companions. “The Creator,”

The three suddenly had to duck as a huge swarm of bats flew directly overhead. These bats were abnormally large, and were in the service of dark powers.

_“Vicavorausan or deaavh!”_ Bolg shouted as he thrusted his mace into the air. _“Gith broshan ul creaavor!”_

“ELYSERI! ELYSERI! ELYSERI!” The ranks chanted.

Suddenly, there was a rumble in the ground. The ground surrounding the army exploded in clouds of dirt as huge creatures burst forth. These creatures were unlike anyone had ever seen. They were huge, and they looked like they could crush any sort of rock in their jaws. The elves were shocked to the core.

“We need to go back...” Tauriel breathed.

The other two silently nodded in agreement. They ran back down the hill and mounted their horses.

~~~~~~~~

Gia stood up straight before she wiped her sweat off of her ashy brow as she admired her work. After hours upon hours of work, it was finally complete. She gathered the pieces of her metalwork, and exited the room.

Soon after she left, she came back in. She wore extravagant dragon-inspired [armor](https://www.deviantart.com/galaxynerd13/art/Dragon-Armor-792450579). The metal was a light silver-blue, with darker blue metal scales lining her chest and shoulders. She wore silver-blue gauntlets, with three golden spikes sticking out of the sides. Her helmet had 5 golden spikes crowned at the top, and lining the brow of the eye holes.

She walked into the forging room, her helmet under her right arm. She walked towards what she was most proud of. Hanged on the wall, was silver armor, lined with gold and green designs. But this was not just any ordinary armor. This armor, was in fact, made for a dragon.

~~~~~~~~

The following morning would decide everything. Erebor woke to a cloudless sky. The sun rose over the horizon. The plain in front of the Mountain was covered in legions of Elves and men, all of them armed for battle. Thorin stood front and centre wearing the crown of the King under the Mountain. The other dwarves had put on armor from the armory. Fili looked at Kili, asking the question everyone but Thorin had been asking; _“Where’s Gia?”_

Thranduil, Bard and Ademi rode together to the front of the armies and approached their side of the broken bridge over the moat. Ademi patted Ginger’s side as she shifted beneath her.

“It’s okay...”

Thorin drew a bow and shot an arrow at the ground directly in front of the three. They immediately halted as the arrow ricocheted inches from the hooves of Thranduil's elk.

“I'll put the next one between your eyes!” Thorin told them it was a warning shot.

The dwarves shouted and raised their weapons in support of their king. Thranduil stared at Thorin angrily, then slightly tilted his head. Instantly, several rows of Elves near the front of the army pulled out their bows, nocked their arrows, and aimed at the dwarves, all in one fluid motion.

The dwarves’ cheering cut off abruptly as all of them but Thorin ducked behind the ramparts. After holding the pose for a few seconds, Thranduil raised his hand, and the elves easily put away their arrows. Thorin still had his bow drawn, though.

“We've come to tell you,” Thranduil confidently proclaimed, “payment of your debt has been offered...and accepted,”

“What payment?” Thorin spat. “I gave you nothing! You have nothing!”

Bard reached into the robe he wore over his armor. He pulled out the Arkenstone before holding it high for all to see.

“We have this,” He said calmly.

The sight of it caused Thorin to lower his bow in shock.

“They have the Arkenstone? Thieves!” Kili loudly said. “How came you by the heirloom of our house? That stone belongs to the king!”

“And the king may have it,” Ademi replied. “with our good will,”

Bard casually tossed and caught the stone before putting back into his robe. Bard looked directly at Thorin as his voice hardened.. “But first he must honor his word,”

“They are taking us for fools,” Thorin said to his fellow dwarves. “This is a ruse, a filthy lie,”

Balin looked shocked that Thorin’s mental state has deteriorated to the point at which he would even consider this. Thorin then yelled out; “THE ARKENSTONE IS IN THIS MOUNTAIN! IT IS A TRICK!”

Ginger stepped forward with Ademi on her back. “I assure you, your majesty,” She said calmly. “That this is no trick!”

“Because I gave it to them,” Bilbo revealed about the Arkenstone. “I took it as my fourteenth share,”

“You would steal from me?” Thorin felt like he had been betrayed.

“Steal from you?” Bilbo said. “No. No. I may be a burglar, but I like to think I’m an honest one. I’m willing to let it stand against my claim,”

“Against your claim?” Thorin derided the suggestion. “Your claim. You have no claim over me, you miserable rat!”

Thorin threw down his bow in anger and began walking toward Bilbo.

“I was going to give it to you,” Bilbo said. “Many times I wanted to, but...”

“But what, thief?”

“You are changed, Thorin! The dwarf I met in Bag End would never have gone back on his word! Would never have doubted the loyalty of his kin!”

“Do not speak to me of loyalty,” Thorin hissed before he gave out an order. “Throw him from the rampart!”

None of the dwarves responded. All of them had grown to be very fond of Bilbo.

“Did you not hear me?!” the Dwarf King growled at their disobedience. “I'll do it myself!”

He lunged forward and grabbed Bilbo. “Curse you!”

Gandalf strode through the armies. His voice was magically amplified to incredibly loud, deep, and powerful tones. “IF YOU DON’T LIKE MY BURGLAR…” His voice returned to a normal volume and tone. “Then please don’t damage him. Return him to me! You’re not making a very splendid figure as king under the mountain, are you? Thorin son of Thrain!”

Bofur gently pushed Bilbo toward the rope he’d hung the night before to climb down the walls. “Go,”

“Never again will I have dealings with wizards!" Thorin furiously vowed. "Or Shire-rats!”

As Ademi looked upon the dwarves of the mountain, she had just noticed one thing. Her beloved sister wasn’t with them. Where was she, and what was she doing?

~~~~~~~~

In the very back of the mountain, there was a back door. A secret door, that not even Thorin himself knew of. But Gia had found it. She had used the Force to find it. She had needed a different way out of the mountain other than the main gates.

Gia was dressed fully in her armor. Her hand was out to the side, holding something wrapped up in a huge sheet of white cloth, in midair using the Force. She walked down the dark halls, her footsteps echoing. She could barley see in front of her, even with her excellent vision. As she got closer to her destination, her eyes squinted as she saw something up ahead. An outline of a stone door.

She approached the outline, and pressed her hand against the stone, praying that this was it. She pushed against it, and the door opened. The long unused door scraped against the stone floor and walls as it opened outwards. Beams of light streamed in from outside, making Gia squint her eyes. Her eyes adjusted to the light, as she saw where she was. She was behind the mountain.

She took in a breath of fresh air, before she began her search. She travelled across massive piles of rock and dirt with little patches of grass growing on some places. She scanned the area, looking for something. After a few moments, her eyes fell upon something that was silver-blue in color as it reflected the sun. It was curled up as it heaved with each breath. She had found what she was searching for.

“Cerajin...” She breathed as she approached.

When The Cathar was about a meter away from the blue dragon, Cerajin lifted her head and twisted her long neck towards her friend.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Cerajin’s melodic voice filled the air. “How did you know I was here?”

“I saw you fly behind the Mountain after the dispute with Smaug,” Gia explained.

Cerajin flinched at the mention of the red dragon’s name. She took a breath before asking: “Why have you come?”

Gia answered by dropping the thing wrapped in the huge white cloth on the ground with a dull _clank._ “I need your help,”

Cerajin grabbed the edge of the cloth with her teeth, and pulled it back. Her eyes widened upon seeing what it revealed. It was beautifully made silver armor, made for a dragon.

“You...” The blue dragon was at loss for words. “You made this?”

Gia nodded. “I know it’s asking a lot, but I need you. An army from Dol Guldur is coming, and we need you to help us defeat them!”

“Orcs?!” Cerajin gasped. “How do you know this?”

“I sensed it using the Force,” Gia explained. “The Force is a-”

“I know what the Force is, young one,” Cerajin kindly interrupted.

Gia sighed before she took off her helmet and held it under her right arm. “I know you do,”

Cerajin took a breath. “Then you must know what I am,”

The Cathar nodded softly. “Yes. I looked into your head, and I saw everything about you,” She looked into the dragon’s deep blue eyes. “You were created by Elyseri. He created you to be Smaug’s mate, and to be a spy for him. But there was one thing he forgot whilst creating a dragon. He forgot to give you dragon-like qualities. He was so focused on creating the perfect dragon body, he disregarded personality,” Gia smiled. “That is why you are so kind. That is why you have no love for gold, but you have love for others instead. That is why you have no loyalty to him,”

Cerajin smiled softly. “When creating a creature, Elyseri uses a special gene, to make the creature have no choice but to obey him and only him. When I was young, I had this gene. I obeyed everything Elyseri told me, and I was a spy for him. But, as I grew, something changed,”

“What changed?”

“In Elyseri’s other animals, he has perfected the gene, so that they always obey him. But, since I was the first dragon he had ever created, he didn’t perfect me. As I grew, I outgrew it, and soon I no longer allied myself with The Creator,”

“Did the same thing happen to Ginger?” Gia asked. “That must be why she is no longer loyal to Elyseri. She outgrew the gene,”

The blue dragon nodded. “Yes, indeed. And since those with the gene are linked with Elyseri, when The Creator dies, his creations will die with him,”

“Cerajin...” Gia still had one more question. “Why did you take refuge here? Why did you come here of all places?”

Cerajin’s smile faltered. “What I am about to show you,” Her tone was very serious. “You cannot share with anyone,”

Gia nodded. “I swear,” She held up a hand, “I will not tell a single soul,”

“I trust you, Gia,” The blue dragon said. “Never forget that,”

The blue dragon lifted her feathery wing. What Gia saw, truly shocked her. Under Cerajin’s wing, were two little dragons, sleeping soundly.

“They’re...” The Cathar was at loss for words. “You and Smaug...”

“It’s not what you think,” Cerajin quickly explained. “You see... Smaug, he...” The dragon swallowed, as if she was unable to get the words out. “He pinned me down and he... forced me to mate with him. Twice,”

Gia was shocked. She knew the Smaug was evil, but she never could have imagined that even he would go to such a level.

“I’m... I’m sorry...”

“Those may have been the worst times of my life, but curses also come with many blessings,” Cerajin said with a smile. “I now have two beautiful children. And although they are Smaug’s, I still love them. I don’t care who is their father, I love them all the same,”

One dragon hatchling had bright and shiny emerald green scales. His head was more like his father's. He had four legs like his mother, but leathery wings like his father. He had a whispy light green mane running from his head down to his tail like his mother, and his claws were black like his father’s. What was most was like Smaug, was his eyes. The hatching’s eyes were exactly like Smaug’s.

The other one, was smaller, and presumably younger than the green hatchling. Her scales were a glittering white, shining brightly like Mithriel. She had two back legs, and forelegs were joined with her wing, exactly like her father. Her wings also had silver feathers, and white claws just like her mother. Her head was exactly like her mother’s, only with no mane. Her eyes were a deep blue like her mother, only her pupil was shaped exactly like Smaug’s.

“The green one,” Cerajin said. “Is Leojen. He is the eldest by 6 weeks,” The blue dragon pointed her snout towards her daughter. “And this is Ozulii,” She licked her daughter tenderly as Ozulii returned the lick. “She is only one week old,”

Gia stared at the dragons in wonder. She held her hand out towards them, careful not to startle them. Ozulii was the first to show interest. She came slowly towards The Cathar, who was not moving a muscle. Ozulii tapped her muzzle onto Gia’s hand before quickly retreating to the safety of her mother. Cerajin chuckled and snuffling at them to show that Gia was not a threat.

Leojen soon approached Gia. His stature wasn’t meek like his sister, he stood up straight, clearly not afraid of The Cathar, but still cautious. He stretched his long neck to sniff Gia close to her face. He turned his head towards Cerajin.

“Mother?” He asked. He sounded young, but he also sounded mature. “Who is this?”

“This, dear Leojen,” Cerajin said with a smile. “Is Princess Gia Wouna Carok,” The blue dragon looked at Gia knowingly. “A good friend of mine,”

Ozulii soon worked up the courage to approach The Cathar. “You... you a Pwincess?” Her voice was very small, and similar to that of a toddler.

Gia’s heart melted when she heard the white hatchling’s voice. It was just adorable. “Yes I am, little one,”

“Wittle one!” Ozulii shouted as she turned to her mother with joy. “That what you call me, mama!”

Cerajin smiled warmly at her children. Her smile slowly faded. “Children...” Her hatchlings looked up at her. “You both must stay here until I return,”

The hatchling’s smiles dropped. “What?” Leojen asked with worry. “Where are you going?”

Cerajin stood from her curled up position, and stood up at her full height. She looked at her children as she said, “I am going to fight for your freedom,”

Gia was shocked. “What? You have children to take care of!”

“Yes, I do,” Cerajin answered. “But I may not have any more children to take care of if I let the army of Dol Guldur come here. So I will fight,”

Gia put on her dragon inspired helmet back on her head. “Then what are we waiting for?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ozulii: (Oh-zoo-lee)
> 
> Leojen: (Lee-oh-jen)


	43. Chapter 42

The dwarves of the mountain, the elves, and the people of Laketown were still at the gates of Erebor, trying to negotiate. Bilbo had returned to Gandalf safely. Ademi sensed that Thranduil and Bard were at the edge of their patience.

“Give us your answer!” Bard told Thorin this was his last chance. “Will you have peace or war?”

Ademi knew what Thorin would have before he even said it. As Thorin bowed his head, a large raven flew up to the ramparts and perched beside him. Thorin and the raven stared at each other, before the king gazed defiantly towards the eastern spur of the valley.

“I will have war!”

There was a loud rumbling and the armies looked up to see the ridge being covered by troops of heavily armored dwarves, atop the eastern spur. Some four thousand dwarven warriors relentlessly made their way downslope towards the allied forces.

“Ironfoot,” Gandalf said.

Ademi was astonished at how large the army was. She heard the Erebor dwarves begin cheering and screaming as they saw their backup arriving.

“ _Ribo i thangail!”_ Thranduil ordered his soldiers to form up against the newcomers.

The elves instantly formed a shield wall as their king moved himself to the right flank. Ademi rode up next to him.

“Who is that?” She asked.

“Dain Ironfoot,” Thranduil said it in such a way that it sounded like a dirty word. “Lord of the Iron Hills,”

~~~~~~~~

The warriors of the Iron Hills had been marching non-stop to Erebor since receiving Thorin's call for aid. The dwarves from the Iron Hills had previously declined to support the quest to reclaim Erebor. But when it all came to it, Durin's Folk always were together.

At the front line of the army, there was one certain black-haired dwarf. Lalin Thunderblade. He carried his blade, with a lightning bolt symbol carved into the side of his blade. He was fully prepared for battle. He watched as his leader, Dain Ironfoot, rode on his battle-pig.

“Good morning!” he sarcastically greeted. “How are we all? I have a wee proposition, if you wouldn't mind giving me a few moments of your time. Would you consider...” Dain paused before furiously demanding, “Just sodding off! All of you – right now!”

The townspeople, clutching their weapons, stepped back in fear, while the Elves pulled out their swords and stepped forward.

“Stand fest!” Bard steadied his people.

The Grey Wizard stepped up. “Come now, Lord Dain!”

“Gandalf the Grey,” Dain acknowledged the wizard. “Tell this rabble to leave, or I'll water the ground with their blood!”

The threat made Ginger shift nervously underneath Ademi. The Cathar stroked The Dæmon’s neck in assurance.

“There is no need for war between dwarves, men and elves!” Gandalf almost pleaded. “You are on the brink of destruction. A foe named Ely-”

“I will never stand alongside any Elf!” Dain interrupted as he pointed his hammer at the King of the Woodland Realm. “Not least this faithless woodland sprite! He wishes nothing but ill upon my people!”

Lalin and the others shouted and cheered in agreement. Thranduil responded with a contemptuous smirk, making Lalin’s blood boil.

“If he chooses to come between us and our kin,” Lalin shouted from amongst the ranks. “We’ll split his pretty head open! See if he’s still smirking then!”

The dwarves Iron Hills and Erebor both yelled in a agreement. Ademi was shocked at the Erebor dwarves’ response. It had killed any chance of unity between the Free Peoples.

“He's clearly mad, like his cousin,” Thranduil dismissed his threat.

“You hear that, lads?!” Dain loudly said as he rode back towards his army while exhorting, “Come on! Let's give these bastards a good hammering!”

A dwarf yelled out a command, and the Iron Hills dwarves raised their weapons and cheered. The Elves performed a complicated maneuver to put their shield-and-spear bearers at the front of the army, while the arches stood behind them. As both armies prepared to fight, a rumbling was heard at the base of a spur of the mountain. The armies grew silent as they turned to look. A hard knot formed in Ademi’s stomach as she heard Gandalf whisper: “Were-Worms,”

At the spur of the mountain where the rumbling was coming from, massive worms, hundreds of feet long and dozens of feet thick, break through the rocks. Their mouths were giant drilling machines, strong enough to crush the toughest rocks in their jaws. The human, Elf, and dwarf armies looked on in shock and in fear.

The worms suddenly retreated into the tunnels they’d made through the mountains approaching the Lonely Mountain. As the mist cleared, Ademi saw Azog and a few other Orcs standing atop a hill. Behind them are several massive contraptions made of wood, rope, and cloth, meant as signaling devices. Ademi’s heart turned to stone, and her stomach to ice when she saw another figure. He was cloaked in black, and had piercing yellow eyes. Elyseri.

Ginger whined loudly at the sight of her former master as she almost backed away in fear.

“Come forth my armies!” Elyseri yelled into the sky.

As Elyseri gave a sign, one of the wooden structures opened up in a particular position, and a horn sounded. Immediately, legions of Orcs begin pouring out of the were-worm tunnels. But that wasn’t the end of it.

The wooden structure opened up in a different position, and instead of a horn, Elyseri screamed into the sky. This scream wasn’t normal. It could rip through a soul, and leave those too close deaf. Suddenly, dozens of strange creatures flew in from behind the hill like a swarm of insects. Some were winged dogs, and some had long bodies.

“Dæmons!” Ademi shouted for everyone to hear. “Rav’je!”

“The hordes of hell are upon us!” Dain rallied his army. “To battle! To battle, sons of Durin!”

But before anyone could do anything, a ear-splitting roar shook the air, making everyone, even Elyseri’s creatures stop in their tracks. A huge shadow passed along the armies, making them all look up. They saw a dragon, shining like a jewel, rise up into the air. The dragon was fully dressed in metal armor. It dove into battle.

Both sides tried to get out of the way, all of them frightened. The dragon unleashed huge jets of blue fire onto the rank of Orcs ranks. The orcs screamed and attempted to throw their spears and arrows at the dragon, but bounced off its armor. As she passed over, she smashed her tail into the head of a troll, breaking its neck. The blue dragon then sunk her white teeth into the neck of a squirming Raj’ve, killing it.

She circled back to the still frightened armies of elves, men and dwarves. Dain raised his weapon into the air as he shouted; “Shoot it down!”

The dwarves raised their weapons, ready to strike the dragon down in any way they could. But before anything happened, Lalin ran up to Dain.

“Stop!” He shouted, surprising the dwarves. “Stop!” He grabbed Dain’s weapon and aimed it downwards. He pointed to the dragon’s back. “Look!”

Dain squinted his eyes. His mind must be playing tricks on him. That’s someone riding on the beast’s back!

Lalin looked closer at the dragon rider. His eyes widened in shock. Is that...?

“It’s Wouna!” He shouted with joy upon seeing his adopted daughter. “She has tamed a dragon!”

The blue dragon then perched itself up onto the top of Erebor. Rearing up onto her hind legs, she unfolded her feathery wings and took in a huge breath. She bellowed out another ear-splitting roar in a display of power. Gia played to the good show as she ignited her Lightsaber, and lifted it into the air.

“WITH US!” She projected her voice using the Force.

The dragon roared in response. Bard’s voice shouted his agreement, the rest then quickly followed the bowman’s actions. And then, all of them were charging, rallying to support their new ally. Then as one, a dragon and the Free Peoples of Middle Earth charged into battle.


	44. Chapter 43

Ademi beamed with pride as she saw her sister riding upon Cerajin’s back once again. She was proud how much Gia had acted like a true leader in that very moment. Brave, commanding, strong, and above all else, she showed passion.

As the armies all cheered for their new ally, Ademi yelled with them, as Ginger howled. The Cathar’s gaze then soon fell on the hill, where Elyseri was. But was shocked when she saw that he wasn’t there. A look of determination fell upon her face.

“Come on, Ginger,” She said. “We’re going to finish this. Once and for all,”

Ginger huffed in agreement as her eyes narrowed. She spread her large blue wings and lifted herself in the air, in search of The Creator. The Dæmon soared over the armies, avoiding the other Dæmons and Rav’jes. Then, her blue eyes fell upon a foggy, snow-covered hill with ruins of an old building upon it. There was a rope bridge with very few planks of wood, going from one hill peak to another. There was Elyseri. Ademi spotted him too as she pulled on the saddle to guide Ginger upwards.

Ginger understood what Ademi was doing. The Cathar was using the cover of fog to hide herself from The Creator. As Ginger hovered in midair, Ademi let go of the saddle, and leapt off.

Elyseri stood on top of the hill, watching the battle commence from afar. Sensing something, he turned around. Suddenly, Ademi appeared out of the cover of fog, falling towards him. She kicked him square in the chest, launching him off of the ruin-covered hill. The Creator landed on the rope bridge, looking up at Ademi with a surprised look on his face. The Cathar gracefully landed on one of the wooden planks, maintaining a fighting stance.

Elyseri smirked as he stood up, walking on the rope effortlessly. “Ademi Carok... I was wondering when you would show yourself to me again,”

Ademi sneered as the tightened her fists. “Wonder no more,”

“After all these years, you finally show you and that traitor of a Dæmon’s faces again,” Elyseri darkly chuckled. “You look even more frightened than you did when I had you chained up against that wall,”

Ademi growled with anger, quickly leapt into the air, and sailed right over Elyseri’s head. However, quickly spinning, Elyseri waited for the exact moment… he swung his arm just as The Cathar’s legs came back down to the bridge at his shoulder height. As the blow connected, she shrieked in pain as the blow hit full force against her shin.

Her legs were pushed out to the side and causing her to almost fall flat on her face. She caught herself as she almost made contact with a wooden plank, then she launched herself back into the air as she gracefully landed back on the ropes.

Angrily, she took out her saber, and swung it towards Elyseri’s head. Much to her shock, The Creator quickly grabbed the saber’s handle, and threw it over the sides, and into the large pit beneath them in one swift movement. With no time to think, Ademi kicked Elyseri in the chest and sent him crashing through the slats of the bridge. He got back to his feet and started to run back to her on a single strand of rope.

Ademi punched The Creator, but he countered by blocking her punch and kicking her in the stomach, sending her slamming backwards through the air. Getting up, she immediately leapt forward. Elyseri leapt into the air, twirling around her so that The Cathar completely missed her mark and went crashing to the only remaining wooden slate of the bridge. She desperately grabbed onto one of the ropes as the wooden slate broke.

Elyseri didn’t waste a heart beat as he leapt onto the opposite rope and sliced the rope that Ademi was holding onto from both ends. She plummeted down into the gorge, the other end of the rope falling with her. Elyseri, seemingly satisfied by this action, went to walk away.

Ginger flew in from the cover of the fog, and rammed into her former master’s side, catching him off guard. He looked at her angrily as she soared around him. Unbeknownst to him, Ademi had held on to the rope, which was still attached to the opposite hill’s peak. She swung to the side of the mountain, underneath the rope bridge. She unsheathed her claws and dug them into the hillside.

With the rope in her teeth, she climbed the hillside swiftly. When she reached the remains of the bridge, she cut the rope from the peak of the hill, and took the rope from her teeth and into her hand. She ran towards Elyseri on the one single rope.

As Ginger saw her Cathar friend, she flew towards the ruin-covered hillside. The Creator turned around, and Ademi kicked him in the face, sending him flying backwards. Before Elyseri could process what had just happened, Ademi whipped her rope, sending a sine wave shooting toward him. The rope whipped him in the face.

As he stumbled back, Ademi wrapped the detached rope around his ankles in a flash. She leapt over his head, and before her feet touched any sort of surface, she cut the rope Elyseri was standing on with her hands. Ademi thrust forward her hands, not quite hitting him. But the force of the intended blow was still so great that it stirred a wind that drove into Elyseri, sending him plummeting down towards the gorge. He went down into the mist, screaming and clawing at the air.

As Ademi fell, she held on to the rope she had cut. Ginger grabbed onto the other end with her strong jaw. She whipped her end of the rope towards her, sending Ademi flying towards the hill’s peak. The Cathar landed next to the Dæmon, making a small cloud of dust as she landed.

They both watched as Elyseri completely disappeared, and his screams completely faded. A sigh of relief escaped from Ademi’s lips as she pat Ginger’s head.

“We did it,” She breathed. “Let’s find my saber and join the others, hm?”

Ginger smiled in agreement as Ademi walked away. Just as Ginger went to follow The Cathar, her ears perked up. She turned back towards the gorge, and looked down into the pit. She saw something stir in the mist. She squinted her eyes as Ademi joined her, looking in the pit as well. Both of their eyes widened with fear and dread as they saw a column of mist shoot up from the cloud of fog.

Suddenly, Elyseri landed behind them with a loud thud. The Cathar and The Dæmon snapped their heads back in fear.

“You fight well, Carok,” Elyseri said calmly as he fixed his sleeves. Suddenly, a dozen Dæmons and Rav’je landed behind him, all of them snarling. Ademi and Ginger backed away in fear,

_“But you don’t fight well enough,”_ He hissed. Strong sparks of electricity formed in Elyseri’s hands as he lunged towards his frightened prey.


	45. Chapter 44

Ademi felt a huge jolt of electricity shock her system. Her body was thrown to the rocky ground. She heard a sickening crunch of bone and an unbearable pain shoot up her right leg. She screamed out in pain, her voice strained.

Ginger growled at the sight of her Cathar friend being thrown to the ground like that. The Dæmon howled and lunged at Elyseri. The Creator summoned a bolt of lightning and struck Ginger, sending her flying the other way. She landed on the ground. She slid on the snowy floor on her side, before she stopped. She lied on the ground, unmoving.

Elyseri turned his attention towards the stunned Cathar on the ground. He raised his hand, and signaled the Raj’ve on his right. The creature hissed, it’s crown of feathers puffing up. It slithered towards Ademi, it’s white claws scraping and clicking on the rocky ground.

Ademi’s blurry vision began to focus slightly. She noticed a shadow fall over her. She looked up, to see a huge Raj’ve crawling towards her. Her heart leapt as time seemed to slow, and she felt a shudder of fear as she knew with certainty that death was coming for her. She closed her eyes and awaited the inevitable.

Ademi heard a roar and a snap of jaws. She snapped open her eyes, thinking the Raj’ve had finished the job. But she was shocked to see Ginger, with her teeth raking the Raj’ve’s neck. The long creature was thrashing around as its dark blood splattered on the ground. Ginger clamped her jaws one more time, and the Raj’ve stopped thrashing, and collapsed onto the ground. It’s yellow eyes turned dull as it’s last breath left its lungs.

Ginger dropped the Raj’ve’s head with a dull thud, and looked at Ademi with a small smile on her face. Suddenly, a gray Dæmon jumped onto Ginger’s back, and sunk its teeth into Ginger’s shoulder.

Ademi’s heart began to race, her stomach churned and her breathing picked up. “NO!” She shrieked as she held her hand out. She tried to stand up, but her leg gave out from underneath her, making another crunching sound as she fell to the ground.

Ginger managed to throw the gray Dæmon off her shoulders, his teeth scraping her back, blood staining her fur. Two more Dæmons jumped on her, knocking her off her feet and onto her back. They both bit ferociously at her legs and wings, making Ginger howl and yelp loudly in agony. One of them bit down hard onto Ginger’s front right leg. A loud and sickening snap was heard as she howled in agony.

“GINGER, NO!” Ademi shrieked as she tried to stand up again. But this time, the bones in her leg shattered completely from the pressure. She screamed as she collapsed.

Ginger kicked the two Dæmons off of her. She stood up wobbly, blood oozing down her back and wings, and dripping from her mouth. She breathed heavily as her chest heaved. She refused to die like this. To be killed by her own former kin. She refused!

Ademi crawled to Ginger using her good leg. Her mangled leg was dragging behind her. She felt a force push her down to the ground. She looked up, and saw Elyseri’s yellow gaze staring her down. His heavy boot was pressing directly in the middle of her back. He grabbed her hair by the scalp and lifted her head up towards Ginger.

“Watch this traitor die!” He hissed menacingly. “Then it’s your turn!”

The reality of all of this was just beginning to sink in. A few minutes ago, if you would have told Ademi that this was all a terrible nightmare, she would have believed you. But now she realized that this was all a reality, no matter how badly Ademi wanted all of this to be in her head.

The three Dæmons from previously jumped back on Ginger again, their claws raking her skin. She howled in agony, the blood building in her throat making a gurgling sound. She landed hard on her side, a Dæmon’s paw pushing her head down to the ground.

Ginger howled in agony as a Dæmon’s claws raked her belly wide open, her white belly fur now a very dark red. She felt the warmth of life begin to slip away. She began to feel weaker. Dark was leaking into the sides of her vision. She could die like this... She just couldn’t...

Her eyes widened as she felt a new pain arise in her neck. This pain made her other injuries feel like dull scratches. Her howling and whining stopped. The gray Dæmon had sunk his teeth into Ginger’s neck, shredding her muscles and arteries.

Every joint in her body felt as if a hole had been drilled through it. Every muscle burned as if melting. A pressure increased behind her eyes until she thought her eyes would burst.

Elyseri smirked as he tightened his grip on a horrified Ademi. The Cathar was too stunned and horrified to speak. She wanted to scream, to thrash against Elyseri’s grasp, but she couldn’t. Elyseri was right. She was just as frightened and helpless as she was as a child, chained up against that wall.

“You see?” Elyseri said to Ademi cooly. The Dæmons backed away from a bloodied and wheezing Ginger. “This is what happens to those who stand against me,”

The Creator slammed his foot onto Ademi’s back.

_CRACK!_

A huge jolt of white hot pain wracked through Ademi’s back as she screamed, tears rolling down her cheeks. Her lower body went limp and numb. Her back was broken, and her lower body was completely paralyzed from the mid-stomach and down.

Elyseri let go of the roots of her hair, letting her fall to the ground. Her skin broke apart on her cheek when she made contact with the ground. The Creator approached the broken and bloodied figure of Ginger. The Dæmon looked at Ademi, her once bright blue eyes now dull. Her eyes said everything Ginger wanted to say to Ademi. ‘ _I’m sorry,’_

Elyseri grabbed Ginger by her bloodied and broken neck. Ginger didn’t even bother to yelp or howl. The dark cloaked man dragged the Dæmon, leaving a heavy trail of blood in the snow. Ademi watched with horror as The Creator threw Ginger off of a nearby cliff. She watched helplessly as Ginger’s bloodied form disappeared into the mist.

For a moment, everything was still. Not an emotion stirred inside Ademi, not a single heartbeat, or a breath in her lungs. And then that moment ended, and it all came crashing into her. Her gut twisted as the extreme pain of loss and sorrow crashed down like a wave. Everything that had just happened shattered something deep inside her. A pain bloomed like thorns in her chest, she was suddenly out of breath. She could not stop the tears that filled her eyes and fell down her cheeks, or the strangled cry that escaped her throat.

Elyseri then strode over to Ademi’s broken form, and grabbed her by the hair once again. He dragged her over to a small remain of the ruined building. He stopped in front of it, and raised her head. He slammed down The Cathar’s head onto the ruined rock. If this had been any other time, Ademi would have screamed. But she made no sound.

He slammed her head again. And again.

Again.

Again.

Until finally he slammed her head one last time, and the rock shattered into a thousand pieces. Ademi’s vision was blurry. Blood oozed freely from her nose, mouth, cheek, and from many different wounds on her head. But she still made no sound. What was the point? Crying out wouldn’t make it stop.

Elyseri brought her head up towards his own. He made sure she saw his face before he disposed of her. He wanted to make sure that the last thing she saw before death, was him, laughing at her demise. He wanted to make sure that she knew that no one cared.

Ademi was only aware of Elyseri’s yellow gaze, a cruel and mocking laugh, and then weightlessness. Mist engulfed her vision, and she watched Elyseri and his creatures disappear from her sight. She closed her eyes as she fell freely. After a few moments, she hit a big rock, and fell again. She then hit the bottom of the gorge, making a cracking noise as her left elbow shattered completely.

The Cathar lied on the ground. She failed. She failed to kill Elyseri. She failed to avenge her parents. She failed to avenge her brother. And she failed to save Ginger. Her best friend.

She felt herself getting weaker and weaker by the second. She rolled her head to the side. In the mist, she saw something. Her eyes widened as she saw the slumped form of Ginger, not 10 meters away. The relief she felt was short lived. She needed to get over there.

With her only good arm, she unsheathed her bloodied and cracked claws. She slammed them into the ground, and dragged herself. She did it again, but the claw on her thumb cracked even more, making blood ooze out of it. Ademi ignored it, and continued. Sheer determination and willpower was the only thing that kept her going. The more pain that shot through her body, only fueled her. She needed to get to Ginger. She just had to.

She reached her hand out once more, but instead of stone, she felt fur. She looked up, and saw Ginger’s face only a few inches from hers. The Dæmon was still breathing, but only in small and only momentary gasps. She opened her big blue eyes only slightly, and looked at Ademi. The Cathar felt guilt and sorrow wash over her. Here she was with Ginger, and she didn’t even know what to do. She didn’t even know if she could do anything.

Her eyes fell behind Ginger, and saw a torch lying on the ground. A small spark of hope ignited within Ademi. The flame was only flickering by a little bit, but it was enough. Despite how weak and broken she was, she propped herself up on her only good elbow, and reached her bad arm out towards the flame.

“Come on, Jos’vy,” Ademi murmured. “Come on,”

The flame began to flicker slightly. It got bigger.

“Come on,” Ademi murmured again.

The flame got a little bigger. Sweat began to form on Ademi’s brow.

“Please,” Ademi strained though gritted teeth.

Her arm began to shake as the flame began to falter. She yelled though her gritted teeth, panting, trying to keep the flame going. Ginger lifted her head slightly and whined when she saw The Cathar. It broke her heart to see Ademi trying so hard when there was no hope left.

_“Come on!”_ Ademi was now yelling. Both of her arms were now shaking. She gritted her teeth so hard she thought they might shatter. _“PLEASE!”_

The flame got smaller the more Ademi’s arms shook. _“Please...”_ Her voice was now a hoarse whisper.

A huge wave of exhaustion washed over her as her arm gave away completely from underneath her. She fell to the ground heavily. White hot agony eclipsed her lower back, her hip, her legs, and her arms. Tears stung her eyes as another cry of agony tore from her sore throat. She looked at Ginger, who’s blue eyes were brimmed with tears.

“I’m sorry...” Ademi’s voice was small, hoarse, and filled with guilt and regret.

A small smile curled over Ginger’s lips. She weakly put her paw on The Cathar’s chest, just like she used to do in Mirkwood. That felt like such a long time ago. Ginger’s eyes said everything she wanted to say and more. _‘It’s okay,’_

Ademi felt more tears pour from her eyes as she saw Ginger’s actions. She felt herself crumble inside. She was watching her best friend die, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Ginger wanted nothing more than to jump into Ademi’s arms. Comfort her like she did during all those years together. But at this very moment, there was only one thing that she could do. She opened her mouth slightly, and licked Ademi’s cheek with her dry tongue, just like she did when Ademi was a child. When she was small, afraid and fragile.

Ademi looked at Ginger with a sad smile after she felt the lick. She wanted nothing more than for this moment to never end. She wanted this moment, when Ginger was still alive, to keep on going.

She held on to this moment for as long as she could. She watched as the assurance and comfort in Ginger’s eyes slowly disappeared. She watched as her chest heaved one more time. She watched as the last light in her blue eyes faded away.

Inside, Ademi felt hollow, dying, bleeding and crumbling. It felt a part of her had been destroyed, the part of her life was now crushed. Her chest was burning painfully and slowly. Her heart was being torn from her body.

Ademi wanted to scream. She wanted to stand up and lift her head up and scream out to the heavens. She wanted to smash the ground with her fists until they bled. But all she could do was weep. She grasped onto Ginger’s stale and bloody fur, and let the wall holding back all her grief break. She let violent sobs wrack her broken body.

But for one moment, she stopped. There was an unearthly silence so great in that moment, that no one could hear any sobs.

And then with a heart-wrenching cry, her world shattered.


	46. Chapter 45

This battle wasn’t as easy as Gia had first thought.

She thought it would be over rather quickly, because they had a dragon on their side. But the orcs and trolls were still formidable opponents to Cerajin. Since her arrival, the Orcs and trolls had done nothing but try to bring down the mighty blue dragon.

Cerajin whacked an approaching Dæmon with her tail, sending it crashing towards the ground into the Orc army. She raked a Rav’je’s stomach open with her white claws, spilling its blood everywhere. Gia saw a Dæmon attack from above and towards her. She lifted her saber high in the air, and the dark Dæmon was completely cut in half from below as he flew by. As it fell, another Raj’ve flew towards The Cathar. The long creature tried attacking from the side, but she drove her saber through its skull at the front. It fell to the far ground below limply.

Suddenly, a horn ripped through the air. The dragon stopped in midair and turned her head towards the sound. Elyseri stood at the top of the hill, and the wooden contraption behind him changed position once again.

“Gundabad!” He shouted. “RISE!”

Suddenly, huge bats flew in from the hill. They were massive, all screeching and biting. There were thousands of them. They swarmed the battlefield. They attacked the armies, but they were mainly focused on the blue dragon. Like a horde, they came and surrounded Cerajin, biting at any flesh they could reach.

Cerajin roared as she thrashed around as she tried to bathe them in fire. Suddenly, she flew fast in the air. The bats followed her blindly. She made them chase her high into the clouds. The air grew colder and thinner the higher they went.

She brought out her wings and halted to a stop. She swiftly turned around and dove back towards the bats. She crushed six with her sheer force of impact. Another five were lost to her talons and jaws. The rest were bathed in her blue fire. The remaining ones fled the scene.

“Ha, ha!” Gia praised her dragon friend. “That was amazing!”

Cerajin smiled slightly before she flew again and chased down the remaining bats, Dæmons and Raj’ve. A rumbling was suddenly heard moments later, and the cheering of the Gundabad and Dol Guldur ranks.

“Muroraaj! Delrrocc!” They chanted. “Muroraaj! Delrocc!”

As the Orcs continued to chant, the ground rumbled again. Sudden explosions of dirt and rock came forth from the ground as two creatures came out. One of them was long and snake-like. It had no arms or legs, and its head was thin and triangular. It’s skin was dark gray, with white patterns on its face. It had dark blue scales covering its neck, and two long retractable fangs like a viper. It had two long and swirly horns on the sides of his head, and its eyes were pale yellow with no pupil. The creature could easily swallow five men whole.

The other one was large. Its body was large and muscular. It had plates of natural armor covering its body like a rhinoceros. It had a tan and armored underbelly. Its face was large and resembled a snapping turtle. It had two large brown horns with the curves facing downward, and another small horn on the top of its nose. It’s large mouth was pitch black on the inside with a shockingly pale white tongue. It had two white lines on either side of its neck and small white line underneath each eye. Its eyes were as pale as the moon with no pupil.

“What are those?!” Gia almost screamed as she watched more of the creatures come out of the hole creates in the ground.

“The snake-like one is a Muroraaj!” Cerajin explained. “And the large one is a [Delrocc](https://www.deviantart.com/galaxynerd13/art/Elyseris-Creatures-790969042)! They are made for the underground!”

“Then let’s take them out!” Gia exclaimed as she held her saber high.

Cerajin roared in agreement. She dove towards the creatures as she sent a blast of blue fire towards them. She reeled back up to only see that the fire did little to nothing on the ground animals.

The dragon tried again, but attacked with her jaws and talons this time. She scooped up a Muroraaj in her jaws, and with a loud crunch, it fell to the ground with a broken skull.

The Delrroccs were a little more of half the size of Cerajin, but they were just as strong. They were easily one of the strongest creatures Elyseri had ever created. With its strong jaws, a Delrrocc bit down hard onto Cerajin’s tail, making her roar in pain.

Gia threw her saber straight at The Delrrocc’s white eye. The blue blade went straight through the eye, piercing it’s brain. The black creature roared and fell to the ground with a mighty thud, crushing many Orcs and a few elves in the process.

Cerajin flew up into the air, and panted heavily.

“I can only go one for another hour maybe,” She explained to Gia. “We have to put an end to this soon,”

Before Gia could respond, a swarm of Dæmons and Raj’ve surrounded the dragon, making her roar and thrash around. The swung her head, and breathed her fire blindly at the swarm, bringing down a few of the creatures in the process.

Lalin the dwarf stood at the peak of a small hill, watching the dragon and his adopted daughter struggle against the strange creatures. He had to help in some way. He took a nearby spear from a dead elf on the ground, and threw it at one of the Raj’ve. It hit the creature in the side as it fell to the ground, screeching. A few other Raj’ve and Dæmons turned their attention towards the black-haired dwarf. Lalin just realized, that he didn’t know what to do next.

A few of the Raj’ve and Dæmons shrieked and howled as they flew towards the dwarf. Lalin took his blade in his hand and swung it at a Dæmon’s head. The point went right through its skull, killing it. He smiled as he killed a Raj’ve the same way. He laughed in triumph as he killed a white Dæmon.

“Not so tough now, are ya?” He mocked as another Raj’ve fell beside him.

Suddenly, the only remaining Dæmon knocked him to the ground, catching him off guard. He looked up to see the creature pounce towards him. Before he could react, a dragon’s jaws closed around its middle as it yelped, and it was carried off.

Lalin stood up and cheered as he rose his weapon in the air. “Long live the blue dragon!”

Gia smiled slightly upon hearing her father’s statement. Cerajin dove towards the ground towards The Muroraaj and The Delrrocc. The dwarves of the Iron Hills were fighting them with all their might. Cerajin flew over the ground creatures as she picked up a Delrrocc with her claws. With a grunt, she threw it across the plain, as it died upon impact with the ground.

A Muroraaj hissed in anger as it struck towards the dragon like a rattlesnake. Before it could sink it’s venomous fangs into the blue dragon, Gia swung her saber into its brain, killing it instantly.

Lalin continued to fight Orcs and Dæmons on the hill where he was before. He stabbed an Orc to his right before ascending up the side of the hill and slicing a flying Dæmon’s wing off, making it fall to the ground. Another Orc swung his mace at the dwarf, making his stumble back and almost fall off of the hillside. But before he could recover, the Orc swung again. He missed, but it was enough to make Lalin fall off of the hillside.

Lalin gasped as he fell towards the ground, still grasping his blade tightly in his right hand. Suddenly, the feeling of weightlessness stopped. He looked around, not processing what had happened at first. But he soon realized, he was on the back of the blue armored dragon!

“Welcome aboard, pops!” Gia exclaimed humorously. Lalin smiled with pride for his daughter as he climbed on the saddle behind her. “I told you the next time I would see you is on the back of a dragon!” The Cathar yelled before she stabbed another Dæmon with her saber.

Suddenly, another trumpet was heard. The Orcs stopped fighting in confusion. Cerajin flew in midair as she looked towards where the horn was coming from. Erebor.

“Thorin!” Gia exclaimed.

The barricade of rocks in the gateway of Erebor suddenly smashed outward as it was hit from inside by a giant golden statue that the dwarves had hung up like a bell. The rocks fell forward and made a rough bridge across the moat. Thorin and his dwarves rushed out and through the ranks of the Iron Hill dwarves.

“TO THE KING!” Dain shouted. “TO THE KING!”

“TO THE KING!” Lalin shouted as he raised his weapon in the air.

“TO THE KING!” Gia repeated Lalin’s action as she raised her saber in the air.

Cerajin roared triumphantly as the dwarves of Erebor finally charged into battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Muroraaj (Murr-or-age)
> 
> Delrrocc (Dell-rock)


	47. Chapter 46

Elyseri watched the battle from afar. He had sent only a small fraction of the Gundabad Orcs into battle, but he did use all of his underground creatures. The rest of the Orcs were to go north. To Ravenhill.

His weapons were now ready. The legs carrying the weapons were drilled into the hills. The biggest ones were at the back Mountains, the medium ones in the middle, and the smallest ones in the front. These light cannons were of his own design, and they were better and more efficient than the ones used back home. He signaled the Orcs that he had trained to get the cannons in position.

“Fire!” He ordered.

The smallest light cannons were shot first into the army of dwarves. A burst of blue light shot right into the army, making an explosion that sent dozens of dwarves several feet back, and killing even more.

Elyseri smiled with satisfaction. He was pleased to know that his weapons were effective as he wanted them to be. He signaled the Orcs again.

“Fire!”

Two shot into the City of Dale, killing more people than it did make them fly backwards.

When the people of Dale were shot with blue light, Bard stopped in his tracks in shock of what he had just seen. He had sent his children away for their safety earlier, but after what he had just witnessed, he began to fear for their lives once again.

“DA!”

The bowman whipped his head around in fear. He ran towards the scream with all his strength. “I’M COMING!” He screamed.

“DA!”

Orcs were chasing Sigrid, Tilda and Bain. As they ran screaming around a corner, Bain turned around and killed the lead orc. The second orc knocked him to the ground and swings at him, only to get his sword caught on something overhead. Bain used this chance to thrust his sword into the orc, killing it. He and his sisters rounded a corner and see their father running towards them.

“DA!” Tilda shouted at him in relief. “Over here!”

“Children!” Bard ran towards them with a look of relief on his face.

Suddenly, a burst of blue light came in between them, making an explosion of rocks, stone, and fire. It sent Bard and his family flying back several feet. They all lied on the ground. After a few moments, Sigrid was the first to stand along with her brother. Bain helped a dizzy and stunned Tilda to her feet. Tilda looked at her father with her hazy vision.

“Da?” She asked weakly. Her vision started to clear. She saw that her father was still on the ground, unmoving.

“Da!” Bain shouted as he and his sisters ran to their father’s aid. He was sprawled out on the ground on his back. His eyes were closed and he wasn’t moving.

“Oh, Da...” Tilda’s eyes started to fill with tears as her voice shook.

Her tears stopped when she saw Bard stir. He groaned as he opened his eyes and held his head.

“Da! You’re alive!” Bain exclaimed with joy as he wrapped his arms around him. Sigrid and Tilda did the same, tears running down their faces.

“It’s okay...” Bard comforted his children. “It’s okay, I’m right here...”

The bowman looked to the mountain peak of where the explosion came from. He saw a man garbed in a black cloak, which swirled around him as the wind blew. Even from where he was standing, Bard could see the man’s yellow gaze clearly.

Elyseri turned his attention from Dale, and onto Erebor.

“Fire!”

A blast of yellow light burst from the light cannon, and towards Erebor. An explosion on the wall sent pieces of stone flying into any nearby armies. The Creator smiled darkly as he watched.

Sensing something, he turned around. A blond-haired elf landed gracefully behind him, an arrow knocked in his bow.

“Stand down, creature,” He hissed as he aimed his arrow. “I won’t hesitate to shoot,”

Elyseri grinned in amusement. “Nym,” The elf’s eyes widened when he heard his name. “That is your name, isn’t it? Ademi was quite fond of you,”

“Ademi!” Nym said as he straightened out his bow. “What did you do to her!?” He demanded.

The Creator placed his hands behind his back. He walked over to the edge of the hill. As he walked, Nym’s arrow followed him. Elyseri gestured casually towards the gorge to the right of him. “Dead,”

Nym felt his heart rip in two. He felt as if a part of what was keeping him alive died at that very moment. A real and physical pain seemed to explode in his chest as he lowered his weapon in shock.

“No...” He whispered. “I... I loved her...”

As Nym’s guard was down, Elyseri quickly approached. Nym regained his senses as he shot his arrow. He was shocked when Elyseri caught it in between two of his fingers and broke it into splinters with those fingers. Nym abandoned his bow in favor of a blade. The elf swung at him, and Elyseri blocked the blow with his arm. In a lightning move, Nym slipped his blade from The Creator’s arm, and went to stab him in the gut. Elyseri grabbed the blade and snapped it in half with his bare hand.

While Nym stood in shock, Elyseri ignited his red saber, and sliced the rest of the blade from the handle. Nym grabbed a large piece of broken stone from the ground as he used it as a shield. The elf took on a fighting stance, ready to fight him hand-to-hand. He panted wheezily and heavily as his chest heaved.

Legolas and Tauriel, who were on Ravenhill not too far away, just now saw this fight happen. Only with their elf vision did they see that it was Nym fighting The Creator. They rushed to help their friend.

Elyseri deactivated his saber. “You fight well, elf,” He said calmly. “I understand why Ademi Carok loved you,”

Nym’s eyes widened as his heart seemed to stop beating. “She... she loved me... back?” His heart was crushed into a thousand pieces by those hurtful words. Tears of grief sparkled in his eyes. He had just found out that Ademi loved him, and it was when he found out that he also lost her.

“I know it’s hard loosing someone like this. But here…” Elyseri’s sickly sweet voice had Nym look at him, and the elf saw his eyes twitch to the side before he spoke. “Let me _heal_ you!”

The Orcs from the hill behind Elyseri aimed their cannons at the elf, making him gasp in fear. Elyseri didn’t break eye contact with the elf. His blaIzing yellow eyes were crazed, and he grinned as he barked out a command.

_“FIRE!”_

A blast of blue light came straight towards Nym. With no time to think, he took the piece of flat stone in his hand, and held in in front of him like a shield. There was a huge explosion of blue light, smoke, and rocks. There was a yell of pain.

“NO!” Tauriel screamed in terror and despair. She stopped in her tracks as she breathed heavily.

The dust cleared, and Nym was nowhere in sight. Then there was a terrible silence, a silence that is only made in the presence of Death. Tauriel was too stunned to move. She couldn’t believe it. They didn’t make it. They couldn’t save him.

She felt Legolas’ hand on her shoulder as she watched The Creator walk away. She felt anger rise up inside of her.

“He just walked away,” She said tightly. “He just walked away! He killed Nym, and then treated it like it was nothing! _Nothing!”_

“Then let us make it mean something,” Legolas said.

Tauriel nodded in agreement. She would avenge her friend, by finishing this fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Elyseri’s cannons.
> 
> Blue: Least powerful. Could kill 5 people in one blast.
> 
> Yellow: More powerful. Could kill 15 people in one blast.
> 
> Red: The most destructive. Could kill a dragon.


	48. Chapter 47

Cerajin bit down in the head of a Delrrocc, not quite killing it, but injuring it greatly. Lalin stabbed a Dæmon in the chest with a triumphant laugh. Gia smiled at her father.

“Look at you, dragon rider!”

Lalin chuckled slightly. “Says the dragon rider!”

Gia’s smile dropped suddenly. “Cerajin! Swarm of Dæmons and Raj’ve at 12 o’clock!”

Cerajin swerved around, and sure enough, there was a gigantic swarm of creatures heading straight towards them. Cerajin flew straight towards them, white talons extended. The dragon took out dozens of the winged creatures with one stroke of her talons. The Dæmons and Raj’ve swarmed her. But before they could do any damage, she flew up into the sky. She then turned around, and dove for the swarm again. She breathed a wall of scalding blue fire onto the creatures, making them squeal and howl in agony.

The dragon then dove towards the burning creatures, and clawed, bit, and thrashed through the swarm. Both Gia and Lalin stabbed and sliced as many passing creatures as they could. Cerajin folded her wings and twirled through the swarm. As her head poked out, she opened her feathery wings, sending many animals flying back. To the observers, this display looked incredible. The blue dragon emerging triumphantly from the burning hoard of strange creatures was certainly a sight to behold

To Lalin, everything seemed to move in slow motion as he looked in awe. He looked at the blue dragon, roaring. He looked to his daughter, dressed in dragon armor, and raising her blade of blue light as she yelled. He felt pride swell up in him as he smiled and raised his blade as well, and yelled with Gia.

Cerajin, Gia and Lalin fought the remaining Dæmons and Raj’ve in the air, before they dove down and fought the ground creatures.

“Gia!” Cerajin got her attention. “There he is!”

The Cathar looked up, and sure enough, there he was. Elyseri was on top of the hill. And to Gia’s surprise, he looked... scared. Scared of the blue dragon. Scared of his most powerful creation turning on him.

“If we kill Elyseri,” Cerajin explained. “Then the rest of his creatures will fall!”

“The Creator dies, his creations die with him!” Gia repeated Cerajin’s words. “Let’s finish this!” Cerajin roared in agreement as she flew straight towards The Creator.

Elyseri’s eyes widened with fear as he saw his creation fly straight towards him.

“Fire!”

He turned around and saw that the Orcs were freezing up in fear.

The dragon grew closer with every wingbeat. Elyseri’s anxiety began to grow. “Fire you fools, FIRE!”

He turned towards the dragon, and saw the look of determination in both the dragon’s eyes, and Gia Carok’s. In one last attempt to save his own life, Elyseri took out his lightsaber, and killed the Orc operating the biggest light cannon. He climbed behind it, and took aim.

Cerajin saw this, and her eyes widened. She roared as she flapped her wings ferociously as she began to reel back, trying desperately to turn around. Elyseri’s finger curled around the silver trigger.

KA-BOOM!

A blast of blinding red light burned Gia’s eyes. Cerajin fell towards the ground, her tail destroying some of the ruins on a hillside. Her body hit the ground with a loud _boom._ Gia and Lalin were thrown from the saddle. They landed only a few meters from where the dragon had landed.

Gia hit the ground hard. She lay there as the chill wind passed her still form. She sat up groggily. She coughed from the dust in the air. Through her hazy vision, she saw that Lalin was laying only a few feet away from her.

“Da...” She said as the dwarf got up with a grunt. He coughed from the dust. “Are you okay?”

The dwarf smiled assuringly as he nodded. “I’m alright, lass,” He coughed again.

Gia sighed in relief. She got up slowly, and walked towards Cerajin.

“Cerajin?” She asked slowly. “Are you al...”

Her words trailed off when she saw the dragon’s front. Cerajin’s chest had a big blackened hole in it, her armor melted away from the blast. Black smoke curled from the hole in her chest. The dragon’s eyes were no longer a deep ocean blue, but a ghostly pale. The color in her face was dull. It made not even the slightest movement.

The mighty blue dragon was dead.

“No...” Gia whispered. Her friend had died saving her and Lalin from the cannon blast. She had died not being able to see her children grow. She didn’t even get to say goodbye properly.

Gia let a tear silently fall to the ground. A small pain blossomed inside her chest. She heard a whimper from behind. A whimper that was so small, even Gia’s excellent hearing barley picked it up. She turned around, and her heart stopped completely.

There, about a dozen meters away, was Ademi and Ginger. Both of them were broken and bloodied on the ground. Gia ran to them without hesitation. Her hand hovered over Ginger’s head, her hairs barley touching her skin. The Dæmon’s stomach was open wide, and her neck was shredded. A pool of congealed blood surrounded her. There was no doubt about it, the Dæmon had died.

Gia’s heart smashed against her ribs with growing fear when she saw Ademi. Her sister was so broken that if pained her to think about what had caused it. Ademi let out a very small gasp as she raised her hand to Gia’s and took it weakly. Gia felt a rush of relief upon realizing that her sister was alive.

She looked up to the hill in front of her, and saw Elyseri. He was smirking as he watched her. Her eyes and face hardened as she felt a newfound determination. She lifted her dragon helmet off of her head, and threw it to the ground with a _clank,_ not breaking eye contact with him. She stood up and walked away from Ademi, who was reaching out to Gia, not wanting her to go. She was going to face Elyseri, and Ademi feared that he was going to break Gia just as he did with her.

Gia began to climb the tall, ruined stone building that Cerajin’s tail had almost crashed through. She didn’t use her claws or her saber to climb. She grunted every time a rock would slip under her boot, or when she got a cut on her hand. But she kept on going.

Elyseri let out a wheezing laugh as he watched Gia climb the ruins. It was pathetic to watch. The mighty Gia Carok, now broken down to this.

As Gia reached the flat top of the building, she went on her hands and knees. She looked at Elyseri sadly as she stood up to her feet. She looked broken. Her armor was rusted, her face was bloodied, her hands were nearly mangled, and her knuckles were scabbed over.

Elyseri laughed again at the sight.

“Take aim,” He casually ordered the Orcs. All of them from each hill began to aim their cannons towards Gia. Ademi and Lalin watched in horror from the ground. She would get blown to bits!

Gia closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. She put her palms together, and breathed deeply one more time. She then separated her palms, and made a wide circling motion with her hands, moving gracefully from one side to the other with her legs, without moving her feet.

Ademi tilted her head, recognizing the movement.

Gia placed her palms together close to her chest as she looked at an amused Elyseri. A chilled breeze whipped up around the hills and passed along her form. A great and empty silence filled the air. The silent and soft breeze ruffled her ash-filled hair as she waited.

“FIRE!” The Creator was thrilled at the ease of Gia Carok’s near defeat.

The first cannon fired with a loud boom. A blast of blue light came hurling towards Gia. As the light grew closer, a whisper haunted the edges of her mind. The echo of a word grew inside her like a second heartbeat. She closed her eyes as only one word was whispered to her.

_“Jos’vy...”_

The light was seconds from hitting The Cathar. She suddenly snapped her blue eyes open, and reached her hand out. As quick as lightning itself, she caught the bright blue burning light in her palm. It turned into water as she redirected it away from her. The water sparkled as the sun, which was barley peaking up from the clouds, bounced off of its surface. It hit the bottom of the rocky gorge with a loud splash.

Elyseri and Lalin stared in pure astonishment as their eyes tracked the fire-turned water into the gorge surrounding Gia. An astounded Ademi lifted her head higher.

Elyseri gasped in horror as he took a step back. He swallowed as he shook his head. That’s not possible!

Gia opened her eyes again. She looked at her hands and she let out a gasp of surprise.

_“I can’t believe that worked!”_ She thought. A smile grew on her face. “It worked...” She took on another stance.

Elyseri recovered from his shock, becoming determined. “Again!” He ordered. “Fire again!”

Another cannon was fired. Gia caught it like before and turned in into water once again.

Elyseri was now growing angry, “Again!”

Another cannon fired, but this time, Gia caught it and launched it at the hillside while it was in the middle of the conversion from fire to water. It made a small explosion of fire and water. It made a crater in the hill.

“Yes!” Gia shouted triumphantly.

Two more cannons fired. Gia jumped and spun, avoiding the blasts as they flew right past her, completely missing their mark.

“Kill her!” Elyseri ordered angrily. “Kill her, now!”

Cannons began to be fired left and right with almost no pauses. And every single time, Gia either dodged it, or caught it.

Ademi’s eyes followed the blasts back and forth. A smile formed on her lips as she almost burst with pride.

Gia caught another one. She sent it hurling towards one of the cannons, destroying it in a blast of powerful water. Pieces of rock and machinery were flown back.

“No!” Elyseri shouted as another one was destroyed. “No!”

Gia sent another powerful blast of water towards the cannons, sending the piece of machinery and Orcs flying several meters backwards. Elyseri ducked from a large piece of rock flying over his head. He looked at the Cathar, and realized that she was looking at him as well. She pointed at him, letting him know that she was going after him next. A look of fear crept on Elyseri’s face.

“All of you!” The Creator screamed the order. “ALL OF YOU, FIRE!”

All of the light cannons fired at once, making a shower of red, yellow and blue light. Gia stuck her hands out, trying to catch the cannon blasts. All of the blasts slammed into her. She gritted her teeth as the power of the cannon’s light made her boots slide against the stone. The heat of it licked her brow, and she felt sweat forming on her face.

She curled her hands, trying to convert all of the blasts. She yelled as the cannon blasts began to circle in her hands, making her rise into the air. The heat and friction made her hands and face burn. The fire began to convert into water, in and out of her hands. The blasts that missed her were beginning to convert into water as well, and beginning to circle around her.

Gia yelled again as her eyes turned a fiery red and blue, the color consuming her pupils. A violent swirl of fire and water swarmed around The Cathar. Elyseri’s cannons stopped firing as the Orcs watched in fear. The Creator watched as his eyes widened with fear and awe as Gia yelled.

With a huge suck of air into her lungs, The Cathar slammed her hands together in front of her. With a clap of thunder, a huge shockwave emitted from her hands as she launched a huge stream of fire and water directly towards Elyseri. Before The Creator could blink, a huge explosion crashed against the hillside, and sent everything and everyone into the gorge.

When the dust cleared, Elyseri coughed violently as he lied on the ground of the gorge. He looked around at the fallen cannons that littered the destroyed hillside. He was shocked by the sight, for not even two hours ago, victory had been assured for him, and now he was left with this.

He felt the presence of The Cathar behind him. “H-How did you do it?” He wheezed out.

Gia stood over the man who had caused her and her family much pain. She wanted to hate him, but seeing his broken like this just fueled her pity. She sighed. “I let the past stop hurting me,” She said calmly. “I decided to be at peace with everything that had happened, and everything that will happen,” She took a breath as she knelt down next to him. “Please, Elyseri. Enough fighting. Try to find peace,”

Elyseri sighed as he looked at the floor. Why didn’t she just end it for him now?

“I will know peace...” He muttered. “When I have...” He raised his voice. “YOUR HEAD!”

He ignited his lightsaber and leapt up at The Cathar, swinging his saber, trying to slit her throat. But Gia leaned back out of the way at the last second, stumbling backwards as Elyseri leapt at her, trying to slice her open.

“Ignite your saber!” He demanded as he swung again. “Fight!”

With each miss, Elyseri grew more angry. He was infuriated that Gia was besting him with no saber. Rage fueled his speed and ferocity as he tried to catch the exact moment when Gia’s guard would drop.

He spun in place in an attempt to hit The Cathar in any way. Gia was unable to step out of the way in time, and yelped as she stumbled back clutching her cheek. A small amount of blood of oozing from the cut on her cheek. Elyseri took this chance of weakness, and struck.

As he brought his saber down, he stopped. A burning pain was eating away at his side. He was almost fearful to look down, because he knew what had happened. Gia thrust her saber deeper into Elyseri’s side. He dropped his saber as he stumbled back. He landed on the ground with a grunt as he clutched his side. He inched backwards until his back was pressed against a huge boulder. Gia raised her saber in the air to strike.

“Wait!” He yelled as he stuck his hand out. “If you kill me, all of the creatures will die!”

Gia stopped, and thought of Cerajin’s children. They were still alive and well. What if they died? But... what if they didn’t? Could she take this chance?

“If you kill me...” Elyseri continued. “You will be no better than me!”

Elyseri felt a sense of triumph as Gia stopped. Her saber was turned off as she cast her eyes downwards, and thoughts riddled her mind. She clenched her fists. She looked up from the ground, and into his yellow eyes.

“I think I can live with that,”

She ignited her saber plunged it deep into The Creator’s chest. His eyes widened with shock as blood trickled out of his mouth. Gia twisted her weapon in his chest as she got closer.

“Now you will finally know peace...” She whispered.

Elyseri gasped as the color disappeared from his eyes. The yellow melted away like ice, and revealed what his eyes were before. In place of yellow, there was now brown. Gia couldn’t help but wonder what kind of person used to be behind those brown eyes, before yellow replaced them. She wondered if he had a name before this, and if he ever had a family of his own. She will never know.

She pulled the saber from The Creator’s chest. She heard the groans, screeches and howls of dying creatures everywhere. Dæmons and Raj’ve crashed into the ground, and Muroraaj and Delrrocc fell where they stood. Gia didn’t know why, but she felt grief wash over her when she heard the sounds of the creatures.

_“Ademi,”_ Gia suddenly remembered as she raced back to where she found her.

“Wouna!” Lalin exclaimed as he ran up to her. “That was amazing!”

Gia ignored him as she went on her knees at Ademi’s side.

“Wouna?” Lalin asked again as he walked up behind his daughter.

Ademi’s eyes were closed, but her chest was still heaving ever so slightly. Gia frantically searched the field for some form of fire.

“Fire!” She said to Lalin. “Fire! We need fire!”

Lalin began searching with Gia, until the dwarf found a little flicker of flame that was burning some wood.

“Wouna!” He called her over. “I found some!”

Without a word, Gia reached her hands out. The fire enlarged as it gravitated towards her hands. She ran back to Ademi. She let the fire flow down from her shoulder and to her hand. As the fire flowed, it turned into pure water. She let the water flow down from her hand and into Ademi’s open mouth.

“Who is she?” Lalin asked.

“This is Ademi,” Gia explained softly. “My sister,”

“Sister?!”

Gia brushed it off as she looked at Ademi. She held her breath hesitantly.

“Come on...” She nearly pleaded with fate. “Please...”

Gia’s eyes widened as the cuts on Ademi’s face began to heal, and her bruises began to disappear. The color returned to her face as her eyes snapped open and she gasped for breath.

“Ademi!” Gia exclaimed happily.

She quickly embraced her stunned sister. Ademi soon realized what had happened, and hugged her back.

“Oh, Gia,” Ademi whispered.

Ademi then stood up and looked at Ginger’s body. She felt an overwhelming feeling of sorrow once again. She gently closed the Dæmon’s dull blue eyes. She picked up Ginger’s body, and carried it to the foot of the building ruins. She placed her body down, and turned to the side. She knelt down, and scraped the ground with her hands. She was digging a hole in the ground with her bare hands. Gia knelt down beside her sister, and began to dig as well. Ademi smiled as Lalin began to dig as well. Soon, there was a big and deep hole in the ground.

Ademi then carefully placed Ginger’s body in the hole, and covered her with the dirt. She took a flat stone from the ruins, and stuck it in the ground like a tombstone. She fell to her knees and began to weep once again.

Gia’s heart ached at the sight of this. She took a deep breath, and sang.

_Lay down_

_Your sweet and weary head_

_The night is falling_

_You have come to journey's end_

_Sleep now_

_And dream of the ones who came before_

_They are calling_

_From across the distant shore_

_Why do you weep?_

_What are these tears upon your face?_

_Soon you will see_

_All of your fears will pass away_

_Safe in my arms_

_You're only sleeping_

_What can you see_

_On the horizon?_

_Why do the white gulls call?_

_Across the sea_

_A pale moon rises_

_The ships have come to carry you home_

_And all will turn_

_To silver glass_

_A light on the water_

_All Souls pass_

_Into the West..._

The last two lines of the song hit Ademi like a rock. She stood up and hugged Gia tightly. They separated from the hug as Ademi looked at Gia with tears in her eyes. “Gia... thank you. You’re amazing,” She smiled and wiped the tears from her face. She was almost bursting with pride. She almost felt overwhelmed. She had only mentioned Jos’vy once, but that was still enough for Gia to learn it, and save Middle Earth from complete destruction. “Gia... you have mastered Jos’vy. And used it as a weapon. No one has ever done that before,”

“What’s Jos’vy?” Lalin asked from behind.

Ademi pointed up towards the ruined hill. “Just what Gia did up there,”

“Wouna, why is she calling you ‘Gia?’” Lalin asked another question.

“It’s a long story...” Gia muttered.

“Gia!” A voice screamed, cutting the conversation short. “Gia!” The Cathar soon noticed that it was Bilbo, who was running towards her. “Gia...” He panted as he stopped. “Gia... it’s Thorin,” He swallowed hard. “Fili and Kili... they... he...” His sentence fell short as tears filled his eyes and his throat tightened.

The Cathar’s heart sank to her stomach as fear riddled her body.

_“No...”_


	49. Chapter 48

The funeral was soon held for Thorin, Fili and Kili, who died fighting to protect their uncle. Gia openly wept upon seeing Fili and Kili’s bodies. She remembered the fun times that they had together during their quest, and how the dwarf brothers made light of even the darkest of times. Ademi placed a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.

Bard placed the Arkenstone on Thorin's chest. The lid of the tombs were placed over the bodies of the King and his nephews. Then, Thranduil came forth and placed the sword Orcrist upon the tomb, where it would stay forever more. It is said in songs that it gleamed ever in the dark if foes approached, and the fortress of the dwarves could never be taken by surprise.

As the dwarves mourned, Gandalf recited a speech.

_The king has come unto his own_

_under mountain, under stone._

_Send him out, unto the deep_

_unto earth, eternal sleep_

_under mountain, under stone_

_through all the lands,_

_let it be known._

_The king is dead!_

The speech brought a tear to Gia’s eye as she sniffed.

Balin raised his weapon towards Dain, The King Under the Mountain. “Long live the king!”

“LONG LIVE THE KING!” The others shouted as Dain bowed in respect.

A roar was heard, and everyone present looked towards the gates. Two small dragons flew in. One was green and one was white. The white one was small, and hasn’t developed its flying skills yet. But the green one was an excellent flyer.

As the smaller dragons entered the mountain, some people gasped and some backed away in fear. The white one hid behind the green one’s legs.

“Leojen?” Gia said as she approached. “Ozulii?” She was relieved to find out that they were alive. She wasn’t sure if they had inherited Elyseri’s gene or not.

“Where’s mama?” Ozulii asked.

Gia’s heart broke at the little white dragon’s question.

“I told you, Ozulii,” Leojen said softly. “She’s gone,”

“When is she coming back?”

Leojen sighed. “Ozulii... I mean she’s dead...”

Little Ozulii was visibly confused. But deep down she knew that _‘dead’,_ meant _‘never coming back._ ’ She let out a small whimper as she lowered her head.

Leojen turned to Gia. “I flew towards the explosion, and I found our mother,” He smiled weakly. “I saw what you did. I saw how you fought for those you loved. Thank you for letting our mother fight for what she loved,”

Leojen approached the king. “My Lord Dain,” He said as he bowed. “Me and my sister, Ozulii, are the children of Cerajin The Mighty,”

Many whispers went around like a flurry.

“My mother died in battle,” The green dragon said sorrowfully. “And in the memory of my mother,” He raised his voice for all to hear. “And Thorin Oakenshield, his nephews, and everyone who died in battle this day,” He lowered his voice as he spoke to Dain directly. “I offer you my service,”

“And I offer my sovice,” Ozulii repeated his brother’s words without knowing what they meant.

Dain smiled at the white dragon’s mispronunciation of the word ‘service’. He looked to the dragons. “And I gladly take it, Leojen and Ozulii, children of Cerajin The Mighty,”

Leojen stood up proudly. “Long live the king!”

“LONG LIVE THE KING!” The others shouted.

As Fili and Kili were buried side by side with their uncle alongside their forefathers, Gia lowered her head, took a breath and began to sing once again.

_I saw the light fade from the sky_

_On the wind I heard a sigh_

_As the snowflakes cover my fallen brothers_

_I will say this last goodbye_

Ademi placed a hand on Gia’s shoulder as she began to sing along.

_Night is now falling_

_So ends this day_

Dwalin, Balin and Gloin began to sing as well.

_The road is now calling_

_And I must away_

The rest of the Company began to sing as well.

_Over hill and under tree_

_Through lands where never light has shone_

_By silver streams that run down to the sea_

_Under cloud, beneath the stars_

_Over snow one winter's morn_

_I turn at last to paths that lead home_

_And though where the road then takes me_

_I cannot tell_

_We came all this way_

_But now comes the day_

_To bid you farewell_

And although Leojen and Ozulii didn’t know the words to this song, they sang harmonies to go along with it. It sounded beautiful.

_Many places I have been_

_Many sorrows I have seen_

_But I don't regret_

_Nor will I forget_

_All who took the road with me_

Bard heard the echoes of the song in Dale, and he began to sing as well. And soon all of the men of Dale joined.

_Night is now falling_

_So ends this day_

_The road is now calling_

_And I must away_

To everyone’s surprise, Thranduil began to sing as well. Soon, all of the elves sang.

_Over hill and under tree_

_Through lands where never light has shone_

_By silver streams that run down to the sea_

Soon, everyone in the halls, and those in Dale sang the song in perfect harmony. The voices of those who sang echoed throughout the lands.

_To these memories I will hold_

_With your blessing I will go_

_To turn at last to paths that lead home_

_And though where the road then takes me_

_I cannot tell_

_We came all this way_

_But now comes the day_

_To bid you farewell_

Gia looked around the halls, teary eyed. This one moment in time was the one she would hold most dear in her heart. Because this was the one moment where she truly saw everyone put aside their differences, put aside any feuds, and just began to sing together.

_I bid you all a very fond farewell_


	50. Chapter 49

“You’re leaving?!” Lalin exclaimed.

Gia had made the very hard decision to live in Mirkwood with Ademi, who was welcomed back by King Thranduil, after she had proven her loyalty to Mirkwood. The elves had already taken their leave, but they fully expected the Cathars to catch up. Bilbo was leaving for home as well. He would have preferred a discreet exit. But the fact that Gia was departing with him made it impossible. She had just told the remaining members of The Company, and Lalin Thunderblade of her decision.

“Yes I am, da,” Gia bowed her head.

“But...” Dwalin was at loss for words. “But... you’ll be living with elves!”

“Yes I will, Dwalin,” The Cathar said. “We just made our peace with the elves of Mirkwood,”

“But that doesn’t mean we want you to _live_ with them!” Gloin reasoned.

Gia chuckled as she faced everyone in The Company. “My friends... I-”

She was interrupted when she heard a shuffling noise at the gates, and someone yelling something she couldn’t make out. She ran to the gates. Ademi ran there as well, and gasped at what she saw.

“Nym?!”

The blonde elf stumbled into the halls. He was covered in dirt, bruises, cuts and burn marks head to toe. His clothes were torn, and his hair was matted. He squinted his eyes.

“Ademi?” His eyes lit up as he smiled in relief. “Ademi! I knew you weren’t dea-”

He suddenly clutched his side as he fell to one knee. Ademi caught him before he could fall to the ground completely.

“Nym!” Ademi eased him to his feet. “What happened to you?”

The elf groaned. “The Creator...” He coughed. “I tried to stop him... but I was wrong. He hit me with one of his weapons...”

“How did you survive?” Ademi asked.

Nym smiled slightly. “Turns out stone can be a very effective shield,”

He suddenly hissed in pain as he collapsed completely. Ademi carefully laid him on the ground.

“Gia!” She asked for her sister’s help.

Gia knelt down by Nym’s side. She unbuttoned his shirt, exposing his burned chest. Right away she could see that most of his ribs were either broken, or fractured ever so slightly. It was a miracle that he was alive. She reached her hand out towards a flame from a torch on the wall nearby. The fire expanded as it gravitated towards her hand, making a few watching gasp. The fire went into her palm as she closed her hand around it. The flame turned to pure water in her palm, and she pressed her hand flat on Nym’s exposed chest.

The bright blue water ran throughout Nym’s body like tiny rivers, healing the cuts and burns on the outside. After his skin was healed, Gia gathered the water into her hand once again, and guided it into his mouth. The elf groaned in pain as his insides were healed. Ademi cringed as she heard some of his bones crack back into place.

Nym gasped and sat upright when he was completely healed. Ademi exclaimed in joy and relief as she jumped into his arms.

“I’m so glad you’re alive!” The Cathar nearly cried.

She grabbed the collar of the elf’s open jacket as she pulled him close. She slammed her lips onto his, surprising him greatly. He returned the kiss as he closed his eyes.

Gia cleared her throat. “Ademi,”

The two looked up from their kiss.

“Save it for later,” Gia mumbled.

The pair blushed as they realized that people were in fact watching. They stood up quickly.

“Thank you, Gia,” Nym thanked her. “How can I repay you?”

“Never kiss my sister in front of me again, how ‘bout?” Gia suggested humorously.

Nym blushed again in embarrassment. “Yes, of course...”

The elf took Ademi’s hand before he smiled. “Let us join the others, shall we?”

“Let’s,” Ademi smiled as she linked her arm with his. She turned to Gia, waiting for her.

“There is to be a great feast tonight,” Balin said as the group exited outside. “Songs will be song, tales will be told and Thorin Oakenshield will pass into legend,”

“I know that's how you must honour him,” Bilbo tried explaining. “But to me he was never that - he was...to me...he was…”

Gia didn’t need the Force to know what The Hobbit was trying to say.

“He was a friend,” She finished for him. “And that’s how he wanted you to remember him,”

Lalin got choked up at the word ‘remember’. He approached his daughter, tears in his eyes as his heart ached. “Will I...” His voice broke off as his throat tightened. “Will I ever see you again?”

Gia got misty-eyed at Lalin’s question. “Of course you will!” She went on her knees and hugged him tightly. The dwarf immediately returned the hug. “I will come back one day. I promise,”

They separated from the hug. “Visit at least one more time, okay?” Lalin said with a smile through his tears.

Gia let out a saddened laugh. “I’ll visit at least three more times, Da,”

The Cathar looked past Lalin, and at The Company. She took a final look at an unexpected friendship. These dwarves had given her a treasure that was more precious than all the gold in the world. Their adventures together would remain with her for the rest of her life.

Bilbo spoke. “If any of you are ever passing Bag End, tea is at four – there's plenty of it,” He hinted about them visiting. “You are welcome anytime,” He knowingly added, “Eh, don't bother knocking,”

The dwarves chuckled, some of them wiping away tears.

Gia turned towards The Company. “My friends. We began this journey together, and this is how it must end,” She turned to Lalin. “This is how we part,”

The dwarves burst into bittersweet smiles of understanding. Gia knelt down, and wrapped her arms around Lalin once again, and he hugged her as well.

“You will always be my daughter,” He murmured into her shoulder.

Gia hugged him tighter. “And you will _always_ be my father,”

They had been apart for two years, and now Gia had chosen to go live elsewhere. It saddened Lalin greatly to have to see his daughter go a second time, but he knew that this was her choice, and he should respect that.

Gia and Lalin separated from the hug and smiled bittersweetly at each other.

“Gia...” The Cathar’s ears perked up when her father said her real name. “Promise me something...” He swallowed hard as he held back tears. “Promise me that you’ll be okay,”

Gia, seeing how upset he was, grabbed Lalin by his arms gently and looked him dead in the eyes, “Oh da, don’t you worry about me,” Now she was the one who held back her tears. She swallowed as her voice shook slightly. “I promise you that I will be okay,”

Lalin couldn’t help but let a tear escape his eye. He let it roll down his cheek as he sniffed.

Gia slowly let go of her father’s hand. Even though she was overjoyed to live with her sister, she was still broken-hearted at the thought of leaving her father forever. She held his hand as long as she could, before she eventually had to let go.

The two unexpected members of the Company turned around. Bilbo joined Gandalf, and Gia joined Nym and Ademi. The five walked to the middle of the valley, before they came across their horses.

Nym mounted his white horse with Ademi behind him. As Gia mounted her black horse, she looked to Gandalf.

“I’ll never forget you, Gandalf,” Gia knew that she would see Lalin and the others again. But she somehow knew that this would be the last she saw of the Grey Wizard.

“And I will never forget you, Gia,” The wizard smiled sadly. He seemed to know that he would never see her again either.

“Bilbo,” Gia now addressed the Hobbit. “I’ll think about your offer,” She winked.

The Hobbit smiled as he chuckled. “I expect at least a letter from you, alright?”

The Cathar nodded and grinned. She watched as the hobbit and the wizard departed in the direction of The Shire, Bilbo on his pony and Gandalf in his horse.

Before Nym, Ademi and Gia rode to Mirkwood, Gia pulled on the reigns of her horse, and looked back on the mountain. She was going to miss The Company, and her father.

“Gia,” Ademi got her attention. “It’s time,”

The Cathar got one last look at the mountain. She smiled. She knew that she would come back. She pulled on her horse’s reigns, and rode with Nym and Ademi towards her new home. Mirkwood.

**Author's Note:**

> Wouna: (Woo-nah)


End file.
